Goraya police seize Rs 56.61 L cash, bust Dubai-based hawala racket

In an operation, Goraya police have seized Rs 56.61 lakh in cash and arrested three men allegedly involved in a Dubai-based hawala network. The crackdown followed a midnight tip-off received by SHO Sikander Singh Virk regarding suspicious financial movements.

A team led by ASI Amandeep, in charge of the Rurka Kalan outpost, set up a checkpoint and intercepted a Fortuner SUV (registration number Punjab-04-AA-5700) with three individuals inside. The suspects were identified as Shubham and Karan Kumar, residents of Ajowal village in Hoshiarpur and Harman Singh from Hussainpur village in the same district.

Upon searching the vehicle, police recovered Rs 56,61,000 in Indian currency.

As the suspects failed to produce valid documentation, the cash was seized immediately. Preliminary interrogation revealed the money had been sent by Thomas Salvi, a Dubai-based hawala operator.

Salvi allegedly employed a unique verification method, where a Rs 10 note was split into two halves—one retained by the courier and the other by the recipient—to confirm the transaction.

The cash was meant to be delivered to SRK Enterprises, a Ludhiana-based company, upon matching the torn note. Authorities have informed senior officials from the Income Tax Department, and further investigation is underway to trace both local and international links of the network. The three accused have been served notices for further questioning until September 15 and legal proceedings will follow based on the findings of the inquiry.