Bangkok-bound man held with foreign currency worth Rs 19L

Kolkata: A man, who was supposed to board a flight to Bangkok, was apprehended at the airport here for allegedly trying to smuggle foreign currency worth over Rs 19 lakh out of the country, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) said on Sunday.

D R Tharwani (37), a resident of Maharashtra, was intercepted by the on-duty CISF personnel at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport here on Saturday night, officials said. During his frisking, the CISF officials found that something was concealed in his socks and hence, the passenger was subjected to a thorough checking. Samit Nandi, Sub-Inspector of CISF, suspected that Tharwani was carrying something in his socks and asked him to take it off after which it was found that he was carrying foreign currency.

"A total of 25,500 euros and $700 were recovered from the passenger. The man has been handed over to the Customs authorities for further investigation," CISF spokesperson Assistant Inspector General (AIG) Hemendra Singh said at the force's headquarters in Delhi. The value of the seized foreign currency was over Rs 19.74 lakh, Singh said.