An expatriate has been arrested from the Velanaa International Airport with large sums of cash.

The 37-year-old was found with over USD 90,000 and was initially held at the airport.

He has since then been handed over to police custody and the Criminal Court has remanded him by 15 days.

The origin of the cash is yet unclear. While carrying over MVR 40,000 in cash discouraged under money laundering laws, many expatriates have resorted to carrying their money out of the country by hand with the introduction of remittance tax laws.