New Delhi:
Pakistani signer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan was released, 28 hours after he was detained at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport with undeclared currency worth US $ 124,000, or over Rs 60 lakh.
However, the singer's troubles seem far from over. He had to surrender his passport and he is not allowed to leave the country.
Rahat and two others - Maroof and Chitresh Shrivastava - have been asked to appear before the DRI on February 17 again.
This comes after Pakistan asked India to immediately end the protective custody of the singer.
The singer left the Department of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) building on Monday evening after questioning. During his interrogation, Rahat told the DRI officials that he is a school dropout and hence not familiar with the laws.
As per norms, a foreign national cannot carry beyond US $5,000 in cash and US $5,000 in other instruments. The person has to declare the amount if he is carrying more than this to the Customs Department.
Chitresh Shrivastava, elder brother of Bollywood singer Aadesh Shrivastava, was also questioned by Directorate of Revenue Intelligence in Delhi.
DRI officials conducted raids at the premises of "Eyeline Telefilm and Events", owned by Chitresh and found Rs 51 lakh in cash which was seized along with some documents.
The government is, meanwhile, investigating the source of the money that the singer was carrying.
A nephew of Pakistani singing legend Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Rahat is a top Bollywood playback singer and has several hit numbers to his credit. He won the Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer this year for 'Dil To Bachcha Hai Ji' from the movie 'Ishqiya'.