Southern States - Tamil Nadu-Chennai   

Hawala racket busted, 4 held

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI JUNE 6. Busting a well-connected hawala racket today, the city police arrested four persons, including a woman, and seized currency amounting to Rs. 45 lakhs, in the denomination of 500.

In a midnight swoop on a lodge on Walltax Road, the police arrested Saleem, Shahabuddin, Amsa and his wife, Asma Biwi, who were on their way to Malappuram in Kerala. According to the Deputy Commissioner of Police of Flower Bazaar District, Mahesh Kumar Aggarwal, the group was part of a larger racket and was only acting as `conduits'. The cash was concealed in a jacket worn by Asma Biwi and a secret belt used by Amsa. A couple of cellphones used by them to communicate with other groups were also seized.

Explaining the modus operandi, Mr. Aggarwal said the racketeers used to communicate with other groups using secret code words until the money was transferred to Chennai and after they received the `green signal', they would proceed to their destination. The money earned by people in Dubai was transferred through this illegal route, he said. The bundles had the labels of various nationalised banks in Chennai.

Salim, a cable TV operator in Kerala, had given up his business and joined the racketeers. He was part of the racket for over two months, while Shahabuddin was the latest entry. They were paid a monthly salary of Rs. 15,000 and Rs. 10,000 respectively. Further, the gang members were also paid Rs. 3,500 for every trip. The racketeers have made more than 30 trips between Chennai and Malappuram. "Though the amount confiscated is only a fraction of the total transacted amount, we are glad that we have exposed the racket," Mr. Aggarwal said and added that they got vital clues on the origin of the `hawala' money and on the operation of other larger groups.

He said the racketeers had links with another group in Salem, from whom Rs. 75 lakhs was seized nearly six months ago. A sum of Rs. 20 lakhs in cash which was transacted through a similar route was also seized by the city police at Virugambakkam some months ago. Mr. Aggarwal stated other Central agencies including the IB, the Enforcement Directorate, were also coordinating with them to nab the big players.

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