MANGALURU: Officials of Customs at Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) at Kenjar here seized foreign currency totaling 12,500 Saudi Arabian Riyals, 7,755 UAE Dirhams, 50 Kuwait Dinars and 400 Qatar Riyals equivalent to Rs 3,75,023 from a passenger Mohammed Ali Pallikunhi, 27, hailing from Mogralputhur, Kasaragod District in Kerala. Officials intercepted him at the time of his departure from MIA on May 24 before he could board Jet Airways flight 9W532 to Dubai.
Mohammad attempted to smuggle the Foreign Currency out of India without valid money exchange documents, Krishna Kumar Prasad, deputy commissioner of customs, Mangaluru stated. This is the second such case detected at MIA in the last five days. On May 20, foreign currency — 6,600 British Pounds — equivalent to Rs 6,49,400 was seized from Muhammed Salih Yarool, 36, and Muhammed Ashraf Abdulla, 35, both hailing from Pallikere in Kasargod district.