‘Pregnant’ woman revealed to be carrying $42857 worth of bank notes in place of baby bump

... that's keeping a close watch on the cash. 

Photo: CEN

Busted: A woman was caught trying to smuggle millions of Taiwanese dollars down her trousers in Taiwan


'woman pretended to be pregnant so she could smuggle 1.4 million New Taiwanese Dollars ($42659.25 ) into Hong Kong from Taiwan.'

Ms Chen claimed she needed the money for shopping and was detained at customs pending further investigation.

Security staff at the airport approached Ms Chen who was pretending to be pregnant to get the money through.

She was trembling while speaking to the guards who noticed she was wearing her clothes very loosely when boarding the plane. 

The security personnel searched her, and discovered the hidden cash was found.

Ms Chen was concealing 500 and 100 dollar notes down her trousers and under her sweater, totaling 1.4 million New Taiwanese Dollars  $42659.25 (£30,000).

When they found the money, Ms Chen told the officers she was taking it into Hong Kong so she could go shopping.

Photo: CEN

Nervous: The guards spotted Ms Chen acting suspiciously on March 7 at Taoyuan International Airport in Tapei

Ms Chen has been taken to the Taiwan Ministry of Finance and Customs Department in Taipei for further investigation.

It is unclear exactly how much money can be carried into Hong Kong without declaring it as it depends on the destination a traveler is coming from.

According to a South China Morning Post report, in July 2015, legislators rejected a government proposal to require arriving travelers to make a declaration if the money they carry in exceeds HK$120,000 or $14,200 (£10,000). 

The amount was deemed too low, particularly for visitors from mainland China. 

However, according to legislation in Taiwan, a maximum of 60,000 New Taiwanese Dollars ($1848) can be taken out of the borders without declaration. 

Credit: CEN