Hawala scam accused dies in Haridwar

Bhopal: In an alleged replay of infamous Vyapam scam, an accused in Katni hawala scandal in which a minister in Shivraj Singh Chouhan government has been dragged, died in mysterious circumstances in Haridwar in Uttarakhand a couple of days ago, triggering a political storm here.

Santosh Garg, whose bank account opened in the Axis bank branch in the district headquarters town of Katni in Madhya Pradesh, has been found to have transacted around Rs 90 crore post-demonetisation, died in Haridwar, Katni police confirmed on Wednesday.

The police, however, suspect Santosh might have succumbed to illness. Police are yet to get the post-mortem report. Police had earlier declared him absconding.

Santosh hailed from a very poor family and was working as an employee in a private company in Katni. He was believed to be a key link in the Rs 500 crore hawala scam.