12 held, Rs3.6m recovered in Kohat

KOHAT: The police assisted by Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Thursday arrested 12 persons involved in the illegal financial business and recovered Rs3.6 million cash from them.

The police, through a communiqué, claimed to have seized fax receipts, multiple cheque books of fake accounts, list of customers and recipients, mobile phones and laptops during the raids against the hundi and hawala outlets in the district.

The arrested persons and recovered cash were shifted to FIA regional office in Peshawar for further interrogation, officials said. They added that the operation was carried out on the directives of the Apex Committee to discourage informal and undocumented dispatch and receipt of finances in the province.

The business of hawala and hundi provide an undocumented alternate system of banking for financing terrorism and hiding the ill-gotten proceeds of corruption and other white collar crimes.

Earlier, seven accused were arrested and Rs3 million cash was seized in a similar operation in the district in April. Regional police officer (RPO), Kohat, Akhtar Hayat Gandapur said the raid was conducted after extensive and continuous surveillance. “Since the earlier raids the culprits had started legal businesses to serve as a cover for their illegitimate activities,” he added.