Police said the money was seized from Dawa Tashi Lama, 40, while he was about to board the New Delhi bound Spice Jet flight on Friday morning.[break]
Lama, originally from Limi VDC of Humla and now a resident of Bouddha, had hidden the money in a bag.
Organizing a press conference to make public the arrestee and the seized amount, DIG Narayan Bastakoti who is also chief of Airport security said, “We were able to seize the amount after the officer engaged in first check-point at airport x-ray scanner area suspected the bag in which bundles of Euro 195,000 was wrapped in a black polythene bag.”
Police than asked Lama to open the bag which contained bundle of 67 notes of Euro500 , 91 notes of Euro 200, 431 notes of Euro 100, 1985 notes of 50 Euro, 41 notes of 20 Euro and 13 notes of 10 euro.
Lama had tried to confuse the police officers claiming the bag contained some prayer beads.
According to the police, Lama was trying to take the amount via air to India to avoid the transfer charges that may cost between Rs 800,000 to Rs 1 million. During preliminary investigation, Lama was identified as a businessman dealing in herbs and was engaged in supplying different herbs to China from Nepal and India since last few years. Lama said he intended to buy "Satuwa" from India as it was cheaper there.
He said, “I had planned to exchange the Euros in India and pay the Indian businessman.”
DIG Bastakoti said this time Lama was hoping to buy Paris polyphylla (Satuwa-a Nepali name) from India and export that to China in partnership with Chinese businessman Aang Xing based in Khasha.
Lama claimed that the 50 percent of the seized amount was his while the remaining amount belonged to the Chinese businessman. He said in his explanation that he was engaged in the business since the last few years and usually transferred the money via an illegal "Hundi" in the past. But this time he carried the money himself to avoid the transfer cost.
However Police don´t have any answer how such a huge amount was collected by a single man.
On October 6, police arrested an Indian national from TIA while trying to smuggle out Rs. 12.4 million in nine different foreign currencies.
During subsequent investigation, police involvement was found in the currency smuggling from TIA leading to the transfer of Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ravi Raj Shrestha to the police headquarters from TIA. Though the probe commission didn´t find DIG Bastakoti´s involvement in the currency smuggling, he was also transferred to Human Resource Department effective from 14th October.
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