Air hostess, agent’s jail custody extended
New Delhi, Jan. 11: A city court on Thursday extended by two weeks the judicial custody of a flight attendant of Jet Airways and an agent, arrested by the directorate of revenue intelligence ( DRI) for allegedly trying to smuggle out foreign currency worth over 3 crore.
Chief metropolitan magistrate Deepak Sherawat extended the custody of Deveshi Kulshreshtha, 25, and Amit Malhotra, 39, identified as an alleged hawala operator, after the duo was produced before the court on expiry of their 2- day judicial custody.
The agency told the court that the offence committed by them was cognisable and non- bailable and added that the probe was pending.
ASs per the DRI sleuths, Kulshreshtha, part of a major global hawala syndicate, was intercepted by the DRI officials when she was boarding a flight at the Indira Gandhi International ( IGI) Airport for Hong Kong on January 8.
“During examination of her checked- in and hand baggage, USD 4,80,200 wrapped in aluminium foil, having a market value of more than Rs 3.25 crore, has been recovered,” the agency said.
“In her voluntary statement, she admitted the aforesaid recovery, seizure and other facts. She also inter- alia named No. 2 ( Malhotra), hereinabove to be concerned with the smuggling of the recovered and seized foreign currency,” the DRI said.
It said the woman had carried foreign currency several times in the past at the behest of Malhotra, a Delhi- based hawala operator.