Three students travelling to Dubai were caught at Pune airport with over $400,000 (around ₹3.47 crore) hidden in notebooks, with officials saying they were unaware of the smuggling attempt and had received the bags from a Pune-based travel agent who claimed they contained office documents.
The seizure was made as Pune Customs were probing a suspected hawala racket involving foreign currency smuggling. Acting on a tip-off, officials learned that a large amount of foreign currency was concealed between the pages of notebooks carried by three women students travelling to Dubai.
Indian authorities had alerted officials in Dubai, who sent the students back to India. They were intercepted at Pune airport on February 17, where customs officials recovered over $400,000 (around ₹3.47 crore) from their baggage.
