Foreign currency notes worth Rs 64 lakh inside bag handle recovered from Delhi airport

The novelty of plucking out lakhs in foreign currency, coiled up securely and put under the handles of a bag, elicited a cry of wonder from airport employees who use clever techniques to sneak in goods on a daily basis.

Security authorities at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport discovered foreign currency worth Rs 64 lakh stashed inside the metal pipes of a Bangkok-bound passenger's trolley bag early Sunday morning.

Officials discovered foreign money notes folded up, coated in clear plastic, and inserted inside the hollow pipes of the passenger's trolley bag handle after thoroughly inspecting the bag.

Security personnel at the International Departure Customs Office removed the bag's handle and extracted many wads of cash with a long needle.

They totalled 68,400 euros (342 notes in 200-euro denominations) and 5,000 New Zealand dollars (50 notes in denominations of 100).

Officials at the airport initially saw the passenger, identified as Surinder Singh Rihal, at 1:15 a.m. when he demonstrated "strange" behaviour, according to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).

He was due to fly to Bangkok on Thai Airlines Flight No. TH-332, but was redirected for random screening. He was then allowed to continue his journey under physical and electronic observation. When the customer was unable to clear the airline check-in due to a problem with his documents, CISF and Customs authorities transported him to the International Departure Customs Office. According to a CISF press statement, the cash notes were discovered after a closer investigation.

The passenger was unable to produce any documentation for bringing such a large amount of foreign currency. He was turned over to Customs officials, along with the cash haul, for further legal action.