The Customs Department in Pune has made a significant breakthrough in uncovering a hawala racket involving a whopping USD 4 lakh. Two individuals have been arrested in connection with the case – Khushbu Agarwal, the owner of a tours and travel company in Pune, and Mohammad Amir, a travel agent from Mumbai.
Authorities seized the illegal money and foreign currencies from 17 different countries from Amir’s residence. Agarwal allegedly arranged for three women to travel to Dubai on February 16, with the women unknowingly carrying the illegal cash in their baggage. Upon arrival at Dubai Airport, customs officials discovered the money during an inspection.
The women were deported back to Pune on a SpiceJet flight, where they were detained and questioned by Indian customs officials, leading to the arrest of Khushbu Agarwal. Further investigation revealed that Agarwal sourced the foreign currency from Mohammad Amir.
Both Agarwal and Amir were remanded to police custody until February 24, and on Monday, the court ordered them to be placed under judicial custody. Despite being caught with the money, Anchal Rajesh Mittal and the other two women have not been arrested, as officials believe they were unaware of the illegal transaction.
The customs department is continuing its investigation to uncover the full extent of the hawala network and identify other possible individuals involved in the case.
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