A Sri Lankan businessman was arrested by Customs officials at the Bandaranaike International Airport today on charges of possessing Rs.12 million worth of foreign currency hidden in his hand luggage, Customs media spokesman Leslie Gamini said.

He said the passenger was awaiting his flight to Singapore at the time of his arrest.

The foreign currency consisted of US Dollars, Kuwaiti Dinars, Qatar Riyals, Sterling Pounds, Saudi Riyals, Euros and UAE Dirhams.

The customs officer said the suspect is a dealer in vehicle spare parts and a resident of Hambantota. (Deepa Adikari)