Police alert on hawala transactions in district

KOCHI: As the hawala money transaction seems to have hit the entire district, the police have been alerted to keep a tab on such illegal activities. The intelligence wing of the police has sent out alerts that many hawala agents are operating with ease in the city as well as the rural parts of the district.In the last six months, there has been a rise in the number of cases involving hawala transactions in Kerala. ­“About 20 cases on the hawala transactions across the state are registered each month. Kochi, Kozhikode and Malappuram are the prime areas in these hawala network through which crores of rupees have been brought in. We have tightened our surveillance across the state and various money transaction systems of private companies. We also looking into the funding of charitable organisations and the NGOs. The police are given direction to keep strict vigil on the operation of these rackets,” sources in the intelligence wing said.Hawala network in Kochi operates in such a way that once a trader gives a certain amount of money to the hawala agent in Kochi, the same amount will be available to his counterpart in Mumbai. “The money which is being illegally transferred like this could be used for anti-national purposes and help extremist elements. Many traders and business tycoons are majorly relying on such sources of transaction. The money majorly flow from Dubai and other gulf countries. This is why the state police have been alerted that these money can be used for extremist purposes. There are also information that expatriates in Aluva and Perumbavoor are majorly relying on such sources of money where extremist groups are slowly finding their root in these areas,” intelligence officer said.According to the police officials, the department have initiated a move to monitor hawala activity in the district. “There are hawala networks in the entire district and police is alert about it. There is information that plywood traders in the Perumbavoor and other rural areas use this mode of transaction for evading tax. We have caught many people pertaining to such illegal activities and strict monitoring is on,” said a highly placed official on the condition of anonymity.