FIA arrests 333 hundi and hawala dealers this year

PESHAWAR: The Federal Investigation Agency has arrested 333 hundi and hawala dealers in Peshawar zone during the current year.An FIA official said the agency is tightening the noose around international agents involved in currency smuggling. Many of them have already been arrested.

“During this year, the FIA conducted 261 raids in different districts of the Peshawar Zone. During the raids 333 dealers involved in hundi, hawala and currency smuggling were arrested and 282 cases were lodged against them,” said an official on Wednesday.

Most of the raids were conducted in Peshawar, followed by actions in Nowshera, Mardan, Abbottabad, Swat, Torkham border and other districts.During the actions, dozens of shops were sealed in the main Sarafa Market in Peshawar and other districts of the province.

According to the FIA, Rs 862 million was recovered from these dealers during the actions. The recovered amount included US dollars, euros, Saudi riyal, UAE dirham.The agency has been carrying out operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa against the illegal business of hundi and hawala for several months.

The FIA in the province was recently divided in two zones, Peshawar and Kohat. The Kohat zone looks after the affairs in southern districts while the rest of the province falls under the jurisdiction of the Peshawar zone. Relevant deputy directors are leading the operations in respective areas. Cases were lodged against the illegal currency dealers under Foreign Exchange Regulation Act.The FIA officials said that most of the dealers were involved in hundi and hawala business with other dealers in UAE, Saudi Arabia and different countries.