Hawala Scandal: Senior Police Officials Arrested in Rs 2.96 Crore Loot Case

In a significant breakthrough, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) arrested four individuals, including a senior police official, in connection with a Rs 2.96 crore Hawala money loot. The total number of arrests is now 15, with 11 police personnel implicated. Investigations are ongoing in Jabalpur.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing the Rs 2.96 crore Hawala money heist, has apprehended a Deputy Superintendent of Police from Balaghat Hawk Force along with three others. The latest arrests bring the total accused to 15, including 11 police personnel already incarcerated, according to Jabalpur Crime Branch's Additional Superintendent of Police, Jitendra Singh.

The officers detained on Tuesday include DSP Pankaj Mishra, Jabalpur crime branch constable Pramod Soni, Panju Giri Goswami, and Virendra Dixit, identified as the brother-in-law of main accused Pooja Pandey. Panju Giri Goswami, a noted Hawala operator, allegedly alerted authorities to the money's transit.

The accused were transported into police custody for a two-day period, while others, including Pandey, remain in judicial prison pending trial. Investigations reveal the group intercepted Hawala cash at a highway bypass, ostensibly dividing the loot among themselves instead of taking legal action.

(With inputs from agencies.)