Hawala channels in play in Goa Min case?

Customs officials suspect Education Minister Atanasio Monserrate's son is also involved in foreign exchange violations, cops are on the lookout for him after he left for Dubai while his father was detained

Hawala channels in play in Goa Min case?

CUSTOMS officials at the Mumbai International Airport smell the involvement of a big hawala racket in the case of Goa Education Minister Atanasio Monserrate.

Atanasio Monserrate

They also suspect that his son, Rohit, managed to escape their notice on the same night despite carrying more foreign currency than him.

Rohit was arrested in 2009 for allegedly raping a minor German girl in Goa. He was on his way to Dubai with his father in the early hours of Saturday (see box). The cops are now on the lookout for him.

"Preliminary investigation reveals that there is an involvement of hawala channels in the case.
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We also suspect that the minister's son, who has been accused of rape in the past, was carrying more foreign currency that day. He, however, was not caught and was able to get to Dubai," said a senior customs official.

Officials said that the amount confiscated from Monserrate was unaccounted for.
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The traveller's cheque of $25,000 he was carrying had expired and he couldn't explain how he had come to be in possession of 75,000 dirhams. "As per existing RBI guidelines, traveller's cheques expire after six months from the date of issue.

"In Monserrate's case, the cheque was issued a year back, which, in itself, is in violation of the guidelines. The 75,000 dirhams he had was also unaccounted for," the official added.

Monserrate says

MiD DAY is in possession of exclusive transcripts of the statement made by Monserrate to customs officials on the day of his arrest.

According to the statement, he claimed ignorance of existing rules. He said he had travelled with large amounts of money on earlier occasions, but was never caught.

He said he was carrying the money as a backup because he was going to Dubai for shopping.

Talking to mediapersons yesterday, Monseratte said, "This is not unaccounted money. I can produce all the documents related to it.
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I was not aware that one couldn't carry a traveller's cheque worth this amount on a tourist visa."

Monserrate, who was released on bail yesterday, has been summoned with details of his personal accounts by customs officials on April 8.

Rs 125 cr
The amount of money in different currencies Monserrate was allegedly found tavelling with

Detention
Goa's Education Minister Atanasio Monseratte was detained in the wee hours ofu00a0 Saturday by the customs department at the Mumbai international airport, after he was allegedly found carrying unaccounted foreign currency and an expired traveller's cheque, amounting to cash worth Rs 25 crore approximately in Indian currency, and foreign currency worth Rs 100 crore. He was scheduled to board a flight for Dubai, with his son Rohit, but he couldn't take off for the Gulf.

In the pastu00a0

February 13: Popular Pakistani singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan (37) was detained at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in New Delhi for allegedly carrying a huge amount of undeclared foreign currency. MiD DAY had reported about the incident on February 14, 2011 (Rahet Fateh Ali Khan arrested, to be produced in court'). He was on his way back to Pakistan after attending concerts and award functions in India. More than $100,000 were recovered from the 15-member troupe.

March 25: Kanwar Deep Singh, Rajya Sabha MP from Jharkhand and owner of Alchemist Group, was stopped at the IGI airport after he was found carrying Rs 57 lakh. However, he was allowed to go when he informed authorities that the money belonged to his company.

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