Stephen Kayyar

Daijiworld Media Network - Kasargod (MS)

Kasargod, Mar 14: Railway police arrested two people who were transporting Rs 1.4 crore hawala money on Saturday, March 14. The police personnel confiscated the amount from them.

The arrested people were travelling on New Delhi-Ernakulam Mangala Express train. Ankush (38) and Shankar (29), residents of Sangli in the state of Maharashtra are the people who have been arrested by Railway police.

When the train reached Kumble station, the railway police saw two bags containing something suspicious. They informed their counterparts in Kasargod about the same. When the train reached Kasargod, the duo could not give convincing answer to the railway police. So the police opened the bags and found notes rolled inside the papers.

Ankush and Shankar were travelling from Mumbai to Ernakulam. Rs 40 lac worth of notes of Rs 2,000 denomination and Rs one crore worth of notes of Rs 500 denomination are seized from the accused.

Earlier, hawala transaction used to happen through bus and other vehicles plying on road. But now it has become difficult as the checking is increased at road check-posts also. That is why the hawala transporters are using train for their acts.

The police have informed that, during the preliminary interrogation, the arrested persons said that they were given the bags by a person to take them to Ernakulam for a commission of Rs 50,000 and they were not aware of the contents of the bag. It is unearthed during the inquiry that Ankush was involved in this kind of hawala transporting earlier also.

The case is handed over to Enforcement Directorate and more information is being unearthed from the arrested. Kasargod railway station sub inspector T N Mohanan, Sudhir Kumar, Balakrishnanan and Shivakumar took part in the operation.