The Hindu : New Delhi News : Nigerian arrested with dollars at Delhi airport

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Thursday, Jul 31, 2008
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Nigerian arrested with dollars at Delhi airport

Devesh K. Pandey

He was intercepted after he crossed the green channel

During interrogation, the accused claimed that he was a businessman
In another case reported, a Zambian woman was held at Mumbai airport

NEW DELHI: A 32-year-old Nigerian national has been arrested by the Customs at Indira Gandhi International Airport here for allegedly trying to smuggle in nearly 40,000 U.S. dollars.

The Customs sleuths on Tuesday noticed that the activities of one of the passengers who had arrived on board an Etihad Airways flight from Johannesburg via Abu Dhabi were suspicious. He was intercepted at the exit gate after he crossed the green channel without making any declarations.

On examination of his hand-baggage, the sleuths found three old magazines. A closer look at the magazines revealed that dollar notes had been concealed within their glossy pages. In all, 39,900 dollars were allegedly seized from the passenger, who was identified as Monday Morka from Nigeria.

During interrogation, the accused claimed that he was a businessman and it was his second visit to India. However, the agency suspects that the money was being smuggled in for some other purpose. The accused purportedly told the interrogators that he had been asked to hand over the currency notes to a person about whom he did not have much information. Morka was subsequently arrested. The agency is trying to find if he had any previous criminal records.

In another case reported in the early hours of Wednesday, a Zambian woman named Angela Katoba was arrested by the Customs sleuths at Mumbai airport after a consignment of 1.3 kg of heroin was allegedly found concealed in her luggage.

During interrogation, Angela purportedly disclosed that she had procured the consignment in Delhi from a woman.

She then went to Mumbai from where she was about to board a flight to Johannesburg when she was arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.

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