Jet staffer held with $4.8 lakh hawala money; she’s part of global racket: DRI

New Delhi, January 9

A woman flight attendant of Jet Airways has been arrested by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) for allegedly trying to smuggle out forex worth more than Rs 3 crore, with the agency today saying the accused was part of a major global hawala syndicate.

The DRI officials intercepted the woman when she was on a flight to Hong Kong yesterday, the agency said in a statement.

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“During examination of her checked in and hand baggage, $4,80,200 wrapped in aluminium foil, having a market value of Rs 3.25 crore, has been recovered,” it said.

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During interrogation, it came to light that the woman was a carrier of a major international hawala syndicate and has carried foreign currencies many times for a Delhi-based hawala operator, it said.

The operator, identified as Amit Malhotra, is a resident of Vivek Vihar area in Delhi, a senior DRI official said. He said Malhotra used crew members for smuggling forex. Malhotra had befriended the Jet Airways crew six months ago during a flight to India, he said. The DRI suspected the role of some other crew members of Jet Airways in smuggling out forex, the official said.

“Malhotra has been illegally smuggling forex for the past over a year. There are some other crew members involved in the case,” he said. Both Malhotra and the Jet Airways crew member have been arrested, the official said. A Delhi court sent the two to two-day judicial custody. The DRI has recovered Rs 3.3 lakh in cash, and foreign currencies of different countries worth USD 2,500, besides several incriminating materials from Malhtora, he said. — PTI

Meant for gold? 

• The seized $4,80,200 (about Rs 3.25 crore) was reportedly meant for buying gold abroad
• The gold was then to be sent to India in an illegal manner
• Currency was collected by hawala operator from some bullion dealers in Delhi