By Ahsan Mughal
KARACHI: In a significant operation targeting illegal money transfer activities, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) raided a bungalow near Karachi’s National Stadium, uncovering a major hawala network. The raid, conducted early Thursday morning, followed a tip-off and was led by the FIA’s Crime Cooperation Circle.
During the operation, authorities arrested a suspect and seized a large amount of foreign currency along with crucial documents that pointed to the operation of an underground money transfer racket. According to FIA officials, the seized items included 22 signed cheque books from fictitious businesses and individuals, as well as foreign currencies such as 4.7 million Pakistani rupees, 6,000 Saudi riyals, 6,180 Thai baht, 22,950 dirhams, and 450 US dollars.
In addition, the authorities recovered a substantial collection of photocopies of pay orders, hawala ledgers, three mobile phones, and other related documents. FIA Director Nauman Siddiqui confirmed the discovery of evidence linking the bungalow to the illegal hawala operation. The documents indicated the daily exchange of foreign currencies, which is central to hawala’s illicit money transfer methods, circumventing official banking channels.
The suspect arrested during the ra”d, i’entified as Asif, is believed to be a key figure in the network, though several other individuals involved in the hawala operations remain at large.
