Airport cash case: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan released pending probe

Feb 14, 2011 |

Agencies

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Rahat Fateh Ali Khan

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence has released Pakistani singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and two others from its custody pending investigations into the foreign exchange case.

Rahat and two others - Maroof and Chitresh Shirivastava - have been asked to appear before the DRI on February 17 again. Their passports have been confiscated.

Rahat (37) was extensively questioned by revenue intelligence officials regarding the over one lakh USD recovered from his possession on Sunday. He and and two of his troupe members were caught allegedly carrying 1.24 lakh USD (about Rs 60 lakh) in undeclared foreign currency.

Sources said Rahat was then taken to the DRI office in the capital and questioned at length.

A nephew of Pakistani singing legend Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Rahat is a top Bollywood playback singer and has several hit numbers to his credit.

"The DRI officers found altogether 1,24,000 USD which is equivalent to about Rs 60 lakhs. 24,000 USD were found from the baggage carried by Rahat while the remaining 50,000 USD each were found from the baggage of two troupe members," Central Board of Excise and Customs Chairman S Dutt Majumdar had said.

Khan was intercepted by DRI personnel around 4 p.m. acting on some prior information, the sources said. As per norms, a foreign national cannot carry beyond USD 5,000 in cash and 5,000 USD in other instruments. The person has to declare the amount if he is carrying more than this to the Customs Department.

According to sources, the payments by an event manager to Rahat were made in Indian currency and US dollars and these people were allegedly found converting the dollars to Indian rupees 'through unauthorised channels'.

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