Kolkata: The Railway Protection Force (RPF) seized foreign currency worth over Rs. 2.6 crore at Howrah Railway Station from a man from Uttar Pradesh on Saturday. The operation was based on intelligence inputs, according to an Eastern Railway (ER) spokesperson.
A special team led by inspector Ravi Yadav, ASI Ajay Turi, constable Supriyo Jash of Howrah RPF’s Crime Intelligence Branch (CIB) and constable D Mandal of RPF Howrah Post, monitored the 12024 Patna-Howrah Jan Shatabdi Express, which arrived at Howrah station at 1:35 pm on February 22. During surveillance, constable Jash noticed a man with a backpack moving suspiciously towards Platform No. 8. The team stopped him and searched his bag in the presence of an independent witness, licensed porter Jay Prakash Ray.
The search revealed a large amount of foreign currency of USD 2,89,000, Saudi Riyal 52,500 and Singapore Dollars 600, with a total value of approximately Rs 2,60,99,900 in Indian currency.
The suspect, identified as Hemant Kumar Pandey (50) from Bansgaon, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, failed to provide valid documentation or legal authorisation for carrying such a large amount of foreign currency. Pandey initially gave evasive answers but later admitted that he was transporting the cash from Gorakhpur to Park Street, Kolkata.
The RPF immediately informed the Customs Preventive & Intelligence (P&I) Branch at Custom House, Kolkata and the Government Railway Police (GRP) of Howrah. After completing the necessary legal formalities, the seized currency and the suspect were handed over to the Customs department for further investigation.