Chhattisgarh: 2 Bangladeshi nationals held for theft; used ‘hawala’ to send money out of India

Police in Chhattisgarhs Durg district have arrested two Bangladeshi nationals who were part of a gang that commits thefts across India and transfers the proceeds of the crime to Bangladesh through the hawala network, an official has said.Accused Mohammad Hasmat Khalifa 22 and Altaf Hussain 35 were recently taken into custody from West Bengal following the theft of cash and jewellery worth Rs 35 lakh from a house at Smriti Nagar in Bhilai, Durg Superintendent of Police SP Abhishek Pallav said on Thursday.

Police in Chhattisgarh's Durg district have arrested two Bangladeshi nationals who were part of a gang that commits thefts across India and transfers the proceeds of the crime to Bangladesh through the 'hawala' network, an official has said.

Accused Mohammad Hasmat Khalifa (22) and Altaf Hussain (35) were recently taken into custody from West Bengal following the theft of cash and jewellery worth Rs 35 lakh from a house at Smriti Nagar in Bhilai, Durg Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhishek Pallav said on Thursday. The SP said the two are part of a gang whose members would enter India through land borders and acquire fake Aadhaar cards which helped them easily move around the country.

The criminals would rent out houses in upscale localities and target homes where they could get valuables worth more than Rs 25 lakh, the official said. After committing burglaries, they would send the proceeds of the crime to their home country through the hawala network and go back without raising any suspicion. The two arrested accused are natives of Madaripur district in Bangladesh. Police have recovered mobile phones, Bangladeshi SIM cards, passports and fake Aadhaar cards from them, the SP said, adding that further investigation is underway.