The Customs Department has invoked the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities (COFEPOSA) Act against an Afghan national, who was arrested with foreign currency from the international airport here last month, officials said here today.
The customs authorities on June 13 had seized undeclared foreign currency worth Rs 10.86 crore from Mohammad Seddiq Yousufi, who was going to Dubai from the airport.
Yousufi's arrest was recorded on June 14 under various provisions of the Customs Act, 1962, and was produced before the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate, Economic Offence Court, Ernakulam.
The court had remanded the accused to 14-day judicial custody and later extended it.
Customs Commissioner Sumit Kumar said the investigation carried out by the officers of the Special Intelligence and Investigation Branch (SIIB), Custom House revealed that the Afghan national was part of a racket that had possibly taken out similar amounts in previous occasions through the Delhi Airport.
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Considering the magnitude of the amounts smuggled out of the country and the serious threat to the national security, the commissioner moved an application for the preventive detention of the accused under the COFEPOSA Act, 1974.
Based on the evidence unearthed during the investigation, the joint secretary to the central government was pleased to place the accused Yousufi under preventive detention for one year under Section 3 of the COFEPOSA Act," he said.
The detention order along with Grounds of Detention and documents relied upon were served to Yousufi in Central Prison, Viyyur, Thrissur yesterday, Kumar added.
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