Rahat denies receiving show cause notice for currency smuggling in India

Indian media reported the O Re Piya singer was given 45 days to respond

Earlier today, Indian media reported that singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan has been issued a show cause notice in connection to his 2011 foreign currency smuggling case.

According to The Indian Express, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) of India has issued a show cause notice to Rahat Fateh Ali Khan in connection with an alleged foreign exchange violation case.

The notice for violation of forex funds and alleged 'smuggling' $124,000 has been issued under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), after the probe in the 2014 case was completed recently.

PHOTO: THE NATIONAL

The officials added that the singer has been asked to respond to the notice within 45 days.

However, talking to The Express Tribune, the O Re Piya singer categorically denied even receiving the notice.

"We did not receive any notice from any authority in India regarding money laundering or smuggling," his manager, Amir Hussain said. "Besides this, we are not aware what Indian media is propagating as we have not yet seen such news."

The case pertains to the probe agency initiating a FEMA investigation against him and his associates in 2014 after the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), in 2011, intercepted Khan and his then manager, Marrouf Ali Khan, at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi for allegedly carrying an undeclared aforementioned amount and some other instruments in foreign currency.

PHOTO: COKE STUDIO

The ED, which is the central agency to probe such forex contraventions under the FEMA, took over the case after this episode. It had initiated the step after obtaining records of the said cash from the RBI.

The singer had earlier responded by saying that he had done nothing wrong and was carrying a large amount of cash because he was travelling in a group.

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