ED searches premises linked to WB cattle smuggler in hawala case

The Enforcement Directorate on Monday conducted searches at multiple premises here in connection with a hawala trade case linked to cattle smuggling across the India-Bangladesh border, official sources said. They said the searches are being conducted under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) at about 11 premises and the person under the scanner of the federal probe agency is an alleged cattle smuggler identified as Mohammed Inamul Haq.

Haq was arrested in March, 2018 by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with an alleged bribe case involving a BSF Commandant. Border Security Force (BSF) officer J D Mathew was posted in Murshidabad district of West Bengal as the commander of its 83rd battalion and was arrested by the CBI with unexplained cash worth over Rs 45 lakh in December, 2017 while de-boarding a train in Kerala.

Haq is also stated to be operating in Murshidabad district and the ED is probing his alleged hawala dealings linked to the cattle smuggling crime and other similar activities. Hawala pertains to the transfer and movement of money by skirting the banking channels and dealings of dirty funds is largely done in cash.

The man is suspected to be involved in many other such alleged financial crimes, the sources said.