Jalandhar: In a significant breakthrough, the Goraya police in Jalandhar’s rural area have uncovered a hawala operation allegedly run from Dubai. Acting on a tip-off, officers intercepted a luxury vehicle late on the night of September 12, recovering Rs 56.61 lakh in unaccounted cash and detaining three individuals for questioning.
Station House Officer (SHO) Sikander Singh of Goraya Police Station confirmed that intelligence had been received about suspicious activity in the area. A police team, led by ASI Amandeep, in charge of the Chowki Road post, set up a late-night checkpoint and began stopping vehicles for inspection.
During the operation, a Toyota Fortuner was stopped. Inside were three young men who initially identified themselves as Shubham (driver, resident of Hoshiarpur), Harman Singh (front seat passenger), and Karan Kumar (rear seat passenger).
Upon inspecting the vehicle, officers discovered Rs 56.61 lakh in Indian currency, tightly packed and hidden within the car. When asked about the source of the money, the trio failed to produce any valid documentation.
Dubai Link and Code System
During questioning, the accused revealed that the cash had been sent by a person named Thomas Salvi, reportedly based in Dubai. Police said the suspects disclosed a unique identification method involving a torn Rs 10 note — one half given to the courier, and the matching half to the intended recipient.
According to SHO Sikander Singh, the money was allegedly collected from a businessman in Ludhiana known as SRK, after matching the torn currency note pieces as a form of covert verification.
“This system was being used to transfer large sums of money without leaving any paper trail,” SHO Singh said.
Income Tax Department Informed
The police have notified senior officials from the Income Tax Department for further investigation, as the money is suspected to be part of a broader illegal financial network operating across borders.
While the three suspects have been issued notices and are currently under observation, officials say further legal action will be based on the outcome of their ongoing interrogation.
Authorities are now probing possible links to other hawala agents and transactions, particularly those involving cross-border money movement through informal and illegal channels. More arrests and recoveries could follow as the investigation expands.
