Afghanistan national booked under COFEPOSA Act

An Afghan national, who was arrested last month for carrying undeclared foreign currency worth Rs 10.86 crore, was booked under the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities (COFEPOSA) Act, officials said. The customs authorities had seized the undeclared foreign currency from Mohammad Seddiq Yousufi on June 13. At the time, the accused was about to board a Dubai-bound flight from the international airport in Kochi.

Yousufi's arrest was recorded on June 14 under various provisions of the Customs Act, 1962. He was produced before the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate, Economic Offence Court, Ernakulam. The court remanded him to 14-day judicial custody and later extended the order. Customs Commissioner Sumit Kumar said, "As per the investigation of Special Intelligence and Investigation Branch (SIIB), Custom House, the Afghan national was part of a racket that had possibly taken out similar amounts on previous occasions through the Delhi Airport.

Considering the threat to national security, the commissioner moved an application for the preventive detention of the accused under the COFEPOSA Act, 1974. "Based on the evidence unearthed during the investigation, the joint secretary to the central government placed the accused under preventive detention for one year under Section 3 of the COFEPOSA Act," he said. The detention order, the grounds for confinement, and other documents were served to Yousufi at Central Prison, Viyyur, Thrissur on July 23, Kumar added.