On Sunday, a passenger was apprehended by Kolkata customs officials for attempting to board a flight to Bangkok with over INR 32 lakh (approximately USD 43,000) hidden in hundreds of pan masala packets. The Kolkata custom came into action after the information came from Air Intelligence Unit officials, and the man was intercepted at the immigration checkpoint.
At the time of check-in, approximately $40,000 was recovered by the authorities; the money was packed as folded bills inside the sachet of “Guthka”. Further inspection of his bag revealed that each packet contained two ten-dollar bills. A large suitcase was filled to capacity with such packages.
The news agency ANI shared a video on Twitter showing officials tearing large packets of pan masala. There were several small gutkha packets that read Shuddh Plus inside it which contained some powdered substance (pan masala). As the bag was opened further, two dollar bills were packed in polythene. The smugglers cleverly tucked the bills into transparent plastics to hide them in the large trolley.
Image Credits: Business Today