Acting on a tip-off, DRI sleuths arrested 37-year-old Mohammad Tahir on Friday near old Delhi Railway station where he had gone to hand over Rs 2.93 lakh FICN to one of his accomplices, sources said.
Tahir's aide, however, managed to flee from the spot. "A hunt is on to nab his associate," a DRI official said.
Tahir, a resident of Lahore, had come to India via Samjhauta Express along with his mother. They were to visit their relatives in Rampur in Uttar Pradesh.
"He was using a unique modus operandi of hiding FICN in ladies foot wear (slippers). The FCN were in denomination of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000. Tahir was also carrying dental equipments and medicinal oil and ointments of a Pakistan-based firm," the official said.
DRI officials also visited Tahir's relatives' place in Rampur to carry out a detailed check. They said his mother was let off after necessary interrogation.
Officials said the fake currency seized from Tahir's possession is of very high quality. The DRI officials are trying to get information about the people who made Tahir smuggle FICN to India.
"Tahir was arrested under the Customs Act and produced before a court here. He was offered bail immediately on a surety of Rs five lakh. But since he could not fulfill the bail condition, the court sent him to judicial custody," said R K Sharma, Additional Director General, Delhi Zonal Unit of DRI. (MORE)