Seasonal rise in Gulf hawala money flow during Onam

 

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) claimed it found it more difficult to frame hawala operatives as they now maintained records digitally.

 

It was on Sunday that Thampanoor police caught suspect Hawala carriers with Rs 10.2 lakhs. A day later, a man who ran an illegal foreign currency exchange unit was busted at Poonthura.

 

As per former Hawala carriers and beneficiaries, these days most transactions are done by one time users. “I had to transfer some money to my brother at Saudi Arabia as he was trapped there with VISA issues.

 

He accessed a middle man at Dammam who instructed that money be handed over to a local agent at Karungapally.  I handed over Rs one lakh at Karunagapally railway station and within 10 minutes, the money was debited,” said a beneficiary.

 

As per DRI officials, active carriers in the district operate from Varkala, Kallambalam, Balaramapuram, Beemapally and Karamana. Many of them have liaisons with people from places in Malabar that includes those in Kondotty, Koduvalli, Tirur and Thalasherry, which are traditional hubs of hawala.

 

“Their target is not the petty commission but the opportunity to roll unaccounted black money into the market. The kingpins in hawala cases remain in the Middle East out of our bounds,” says a DRI official.

 

Superintendent of Police (Economic Offence wing, Kollam) Johnson Xavier says many from the low economic income category still mysteriously subscribed to Hawala dealers.

 

“Onam is the time for splurging and it is quite obvious that there is an increase in Hawala dealings,” he added.