Pakistani Qawwali (Sufi devotional music) singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and his manager have been slapped a penalty of Rs.15 lakh each and the foreign currency found in their possession by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) at the Delhi airport a week ago has been confiscated.
The two would be allowed to leave the country only after they pay the penalty imposed by the Customs Department, sources said.
Rahat, his manager Maroof and event manager Chitresh Shrivastava were detained by the DRI sleuths when they, along with other members of their troupe, were on their way to board a flight to Dubai on February 13.
The agency purportedly found $24,000 each in the possession of Maroof and Chitresh.
The money was much above the permissible limit of $5,000 in cash and like amounts in other instruments.
The matter was recently forwarded to the adjudicating authority, Commissioner of Customs (Airport), for further action under the Customs Act.
Earlier, the role of foreign exchange agents and some prominent Bollywood figures had come under the scanner during the investigation by the DRI. The suspected use of unauthorised channels for money transfer was also probed.
Rahat, a famous playback singer, had recently won the Filmfare Award for best male playback singer for his song Dil To Bachcha Hai Ji from the movie Ishqiya. He has won several other prestigious awards this year.
