Sunday, Apr 28, 2024 | Last Update : 02:17 AM IST
Rs 1.2 crore seized by Enforcement Directorate in searches
Operations conducted nationwide to check illegal conversion of old notes.
New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday conducted searches in several cities across the country on those under the suspicion of converting or laundering huge amount of withdrawn currency notes illegally and seized around Rs 1.2 crore cash.
Besides, the CBI registered a case against a cashier working at a State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur branch in Rajasthan for allegedly exchanging Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes for new ones worth more than Rs 1 crore post the demonetisation.
As far as the ED’s searches are concerned, sources said, “The agency conducted raids at 40 locations. Money-launderers, including hawala dealers, and those involved in illegal currency exchange were targeted. The searches were conducted by multiple teams in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Gandhinagar and Bengaluru among others”.
The agency filed a money laundering case against the officials of a private bank branch in Kashmere Gate area in the national capital, which was recently investigated by the Income Tax department on the charges of alleged irregularities in converting the scrapped currencies.
The agency, sources said, launched the nation-wide action as it is getting reports of instances of illegal exchange of the old currency and stashing of new currency notes to perpetrate hawala and money laundering like activities.
In the eastern region, the ED sleuths conducted searches at 16 locations, including six in Kolkata, two each in Bhubaneswar and Paradip (both in Odisha), Guwahati among others, sources said. The sleuths from the Kolkata zone of the ED also seized Rs 10 lakh cash in new currency from the premises of a doctor in the city during the operation, even as an assortment of foreign currency worth Rs 4 lakh has also been seized from the same area, they added. The sleuths seized about Rs 20 lakh cash in old currency, about Rs 1 crore in new notes and transaction papers of about Rs 50 lakh foreign exchange at the end of operations.
Sources said the agency is looking at instances of illegal exchange of old currency and stashing of new currency notes to perpetrate hawala and
money laundering like activities.
They said all the cash, documents and entry registers have been seized from the premises of hawala dealers and those currency exchanges, which were indulging in illegal exchange of the old notes. Meanwhile, the CBI has also registered a case against a cashier working at a State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur branch in Rajasthan.
An FIR was registered against the official based on a complaint filed by the manager of the bank’s Collectorate Branch in Dausa, Rajasthan.
It was alleged that Yogendra Singh Merna, posted as Head Cashier, violated guidelines to allow exchange and deposit of scrapped notes. The CBI has registered a case of criminal conspiracy, cheating and under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act against the Head Cashier and others.
