BUMFULL OF CURRENCY NOTES

Three Indian nationals who tried to smuggle out foreign currency amounting to Rs.15 million concealed in their rectums, were apprehended by the Katunayake Airport Customs yesterday. Among the foreign currency seized were 80,800 Euros in the denomination of 500 and 50,000 Swiss Francs in 1000 denominations.

Among the foreign currency seized were 80,800 Euros and 50,000 Swiss Francs

Among the foreign currency seized were 80,800 Euros in the denomination of 500 and 50,000 Swiss Francs in 1000 denominations.

Customs investigations had revealed that all three suspects were textile traders and they had used to frequently travel between Singapore, Colombo and Chennai in the past several years. Two of the suspects in their forties were from Madurai while the other was a 36-year-old resident of Chennai.

Customs said all three of them had arrived at the Katu-

They had been taken into custody moments before they boarded the plane following a tip off received by Customs Deputy Superintendent Wimal Piyasumana

nayake airport yesterday morning to leave for Chennai on a SriLankan Airlines flight.

They had been taken into custody moments before they boarded the plane following a tip off received by Customs Deputy Superintendent Wi- mal Piyasumana. Thereafter the suspects had been taken to hospital and subjected to an xray examination which had confirmed the hidden currency stock. Afterwards the hidden notes had been taken out by the suspects themselves, the customs said.

The notes had been wrapped in black carbon paper and put inside condoms before inserting them in the rectums of the suspects.

Each suspect was fined Rs. 100,000 and the foreign currency was confiscated by deputy Customs Director Stanley Senaratne who conducted the inquiry.