From Bhupen Goswami
GUWAHATI : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted a joint operation with Tripura police and conducted searches at seven locations in west Agartala and Sonamura areas of the state. Police sources said, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in collaboration with Tripura police conducted searches at seven places under FEMA in Agartala and Sonamura areas of Tripura today. During the search, the investigating agency recovered Rs 80 lakh indian currency and 30 lakh taka Bangladeshi currency through foreign hawala. At the same time, several important documents have also been recovered. Now the investigating agency is trying to find out who was supposed to go to the hawala money. This money was to be used with terrorist organisations or in assam elections.
A senior ED official said that based on a tip-off, the Enforcement Directorate conducted raids at seven places under the Foreign Exchange Act Act FEMA. The Enforcement Directorate had learnt that a large quantity of hawala money had been sent to Tripura through foreign means and the amount could also be used in terrorist organisations or Assam elections etc. A senior ED official said that 80 lakh rupees of Indian currency currency and 30 lakh rupees of Bangladesh currency taka were recovered from the seven places where raids were conducted. At the same time, during the raid, a number of documents were recovered which contain vital information about the hawala amount. At the same time, the hawala amounts which have come in the past have also been mentioned in these documents. According to ED sources, some influential people from north eastern states are also said to be involved in the entire scam which wanted to create large scale unrest through this money. The ED is currently investigating the case and efforts are on to find out the names of the persons to whom the hawala money cables have reached. It is rarely found that when the investigating agency takes action in the North Eastern States or the Border State on the basis of accurate information and gets a massive success. It can be defined as a money transfer method, which is outside the traditional banking system and requires at least two hawala dealers (or hawaladars) who take care of “transactions”.
