Lookout notice helps Sahar cops arrest hawala case accused

Representational Image

Another arrest has been made in the hawala racket busted by the Sahar police; the racket has exposed four Mumbai-based entertainment companies and an event management firm. One of 33 suspects in the case was caught on Monday evening. This arrest came about after the cops issued lookout notices for the 33 suspects.

The man caught on Monday has been identified as Mohammed Farzan Shaikh, 25. He was intercepted by immigration officers after he returned from Dubai. He has been sent to police custody.

Back empty-handed
Sources said Farzan had returned empty-handed. Senior police inspector of Sahar police station Lata Shirsat confirmed the arrest. Prior to Shaikh, 10 more people had been arrested from the airport on April 6. Of these, eight were part of a batch headed to Dubai, while two were among those who had come to bid farewell to the fliers and manage their journey.

Out of the 11 arrested, two have travelled abroad prior to this, while the rest were first-time fliers. Ten people are from Mumbai, while one is from Kolhapur. The Mumbai-based accused are mostly residents of Cheetah Camp and Agripada.

New modus operandi
All the carriers were told that they have to go to Dubai for the production work on an upcoming film and hand over the money and cards - each of them had 10,000 dirham cash and five forex cards, which collectively had $10,000 and around 1,80,000 Dirham - to one Romil. This is a new way of hawala money transfer, where the money is sent via banking channels.

Back home, the police have checked the companies' bank accounts and seized several accounts, that contain approximately R25 crore, in around seven banks, said sources. The directors and other staff members of the four companies who are wanted in the case have managed to flee.

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates