CISF Kolkata Airport screeners detected USD 1,19,900 in foreign currency hidden in the false bottoms of two hand bags on Monday, money worth about Rs 1,13,64,002 that two passengers were trying to carry to Bangkok.

Both were booked on Bhutan Airlines flight B3700 out of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) Airport.

X-ray screen flags two bags at the international security hold area

According to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), the first sign came at around 10.20 am at the International Terminal Security Hold Area. An on-duty screener watching the X-ray monitor noticed suspicious images inside the hand baggage of the two passengers. Both bags were sent for a physical check.

That check found the money.

CISF personnel opened the bags and found that each had a false bottom. Under it lay bundles of US dollar notes, wrapped in newspaper. One passenger's bag held USD 74,900, while the other held USD 45,000.

CISF Kolkata Airport unit hands the case to Customs

After the prescribed formalities, the CISF Kolkata Airport unit handed over both passengers and the recovered currency to the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of Customs for further action.

The two cases then took different paths. On Tuesday, AIU and Customs officials took the passenger linked to the USD 74,900 bag to the District and Sessions Court for further legal proceedings following the investigation and seizure. The second passenger was released by Customs after a detention receipt was issued for the USD 45,000 found in that bag. Neither passenger has been named, which is routine while Customs proceedings are under way.

Customs holds the powers over currency detentions at airports

The division of work is standard at Indian airports. CISF runs pre-embarkation security screening at civil airports under norms set by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), and its screeners look for anything that could threaten the safety of a flight.

Undeclared cash or gold found on an X-ray screen goes to Customs. Under the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, it is Customs that can detain, seize and prosecute.

False bottoms remain a common concealment method

A false bottom is built to pass as the base of the bag itself.

On an X-ray screen, however, packed bundles hidden beneath it can still show up as an odd outline against the rest of the contents. Spotting that kind of mismatch is a core part of the screener's job, and on Monday it was enough to stop USD 1,19,900 from leaving the country.

CISF airport units train for a wide range of threats

The CISF guards most of India's civil airports, and baggage screening is one part of a broader training pipeline.

The force has put thousands of personnel through drone and counter-drone training, and its airport units regularly take part in large multi-agency drills such as the counter terrorist mock exercise at IGI Airport in Delhi. In the Northeast, the Army has run a dedicated training course for the CISF contingent at Agartala's MBB Airport, covering vital area security, quick reaction drills and counter-drone operations.