Author: PTI
Publication: The Hindu
Date: September 30, 2007
URL: http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/holnus/004200709300321.htm
In a major crackdown on suspected hawala dealers,
police raided 13 houses and seized three pistols, over 100 sovereigns of gold
and documents pertaining to bank transactions in the district on Saturday.
The raids, led by Malappuram SP, P Vijayan
on a direction from IG of police, Vincent M Paul, were carried out for over
six hours since morning at Vatakara, Koduvally, Thamarassery and Vavadu by
anti-hawala squads formed recently in the state to unearth illegal transfer
of money, police said.
Three pistols were recovered from a house
at Villiapalli near Vatakara and a case had been booked under the Arms Act,
they said, adding over 100 sovereigns of gold was seized from house at Koduvally,
from where hawala transactions were reported frequently in recent times.
However, no cash was seized during the raids
as the special police teams were instructed not to recover cash below Rs one
lakh, police said.
"We have also seized some documents pertaining
to bank transactions and book records showing money dealings which will be
probed', the sources said.
Among the houses raided were one belonging
to a Muslim League sympathiser at Koduvally, they said, adding that suspected
hawala dealers reportedly tried to manhandle some mediapersons who had gone
to cover the developments at Vavadu.
Today's crackdown follows a series of such
raids held in Malappuram early this month during which documents relating
to an alleged Rs 400-crore hawala deal were seized from a house at Perinthalmanna.
