FIA arrests three Hawala agents, recovers dollars worth Rs420mn

KARACHI: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Friday arrested three suspects allegedly involved in Hawala and Hundi business and recovered dollars worth Rs420 million, ARY News reported.

The dollars were recovered during a raid at a private firm in Kharadar area of Karachi.

The captured suspects include Imran, Kamran and Rizwan, said the FIA officials.

Director FIA Sindh Sultan Khawaja said money was sent abroad through Hawala and Hundi.

“A case has been lodged under Section 33 and 489 against the suspects,” he said.

On April 11, the FIA had arrested a man from city’s Saddar area over his suspected involvement in transactions through illegal ‘Hawala and Hundi’ business.

Identified as Muhammad Khalid, the accused worked for a private trade company. The FIA had raided his office in Saddar’s Kohinoor market and found Rs 4 million cash.

Read More: We are weakening economy by investing in dollar: president Forex Association

The FIA team had also found cheques of Rs 10.5 million. The investigators had seized laptop, foreign currency and other documents from his office.

On April 6, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain had said the government had directed the FIA to launch a full- fledged operation against dollar hoarding, and speculative currency trade.

In a tweet on his social media account, he had said the operation was being launched in coordination with the State Bank of Pakistan and Ministry of Finance.