Special Correspondent
Pune: On February 17, 2025, the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) at Pune Airport successfully intercepted a significant currency smuggling attempt. Officers discovered over USD 400,000 (approximately INR 3.47 crore) concealed within notebooks inside two trolley bags carried by three passengers arriving from Dubai on SpiceJet flight SG 52.
The passengers, students from Pune, stated that they were entrusted with the luggage by Ms. Khushboo Agarwal, a local travel agent, who claimed the bags contained urgent office documents for her Dubai office. Trusting her, the students accepted the bags without suspicion.
Upon further investigation, Agarwal was apprehended and admitted ownership of the foreign currency. The inquiry also led to the identification of Mr. Mohd Aamir, who had supplied the currency to Agarwal. Subsequent raids at a forex firm in Mumbai linked to Aamir resulted in the recovery of foreign currencies from various countries, valued at around INR 45 lakh.
Coordinated operations across Pune, Ahmedabad, and Mumbai involved officers from Pune Airport, Customs Pune, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad. Both Ms. Agarwal and Mr. Aamir were arrested and presented in court, where they were granted six days of Customs Custody. On February 24, 2025, they were remanded to 14-day judicial custody and are currently held at Yerwada Central Jail.
The investigation is ongoing, led by Pune Customs (Airport), into this extensive smuggling operation.
