‘Biggest ever seizure’: Custom dept recovers foreign currency worth Rs 10 crore at Delhi airport

New Delhi: In what is claimed to be a “biggest-ever seizure”, Customs department officials on Friday recovered foreign currency worth over Rs 10 crores from three Tajikistan nationals at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport.

According to officials, the accused trio were caught while they were going to board a flight to Istanbul. “On the basis of profiling, the officers of Airport Customs, IGI Airport, Terminal-3, New Delhi have booked the biggest-ever case of smuggling of foreign currency through any airport in India on 21 July against three Tajikistan national passengers,” the Customs department said in a statement on Saturday.

#IndianCustomsAtWork https://t.co/sk7OwdWoFj

— Delhi Customs (@Delhicustoms) July 21, 2023

“These passengers were intended to depart for Istanbul by Flight No. TK 0717 dated 21 July from T3, IGI Airport, New Delhi,” the statement read.

“The detailed examination of the baggage and personal search of the passengers resulted in the recovery of foreign currency (USD 7,20,000/- & Euro 4,66,200/-) from the three passengers which is equivalent to Rs 10,06,78,410,” it said.

“The recovered foreign currency has been seized under section 110 of the Customs Act, 1962,” it said while adding that further investigation is under progress.