Rs10,000-crore hawala case : Gujarat HC notices to govt, ED on PIL seeking SIT probe
The petitioner has alleged in the PIL that the main accused has generated huge amount of money running into billions of rupees.
2 min read
Following a brief argument, the division bench led by Acting Chief Justice VM Sahai issued notices and adjourned the hearing till August 17.
The Gujarat High Court on Friday issued notices to state government and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Ahmedabad on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking the investigation of two police cases in Surat in connection with Rs10,000 crore hawala scam to be handed over to Anti-Terrorism Squad-like agency, or a team be formed by the court.
The petitioner has sought direction from the court that it should hand over the investigation to ATS or any agency “having expertise in the field of detection of crime of organized gangs as well as high-tech communication devices.” The petitioner has also asked that the court may direct to form a special team and monitor the day-to-day progress.
The petitioner, identified as Dharmesh V Patel, has alleged in the PIL that the main accused Afroz Hasan Fatta has generated huge amount of money running into billions of rupees “as a result of systematic, white-collar criminal activity of money laundering as well as siphoning of the amount abroad.”
[related-post]
Following a brief argument, the division bench led by Acting Chief Justice VM Sahai issued notices and adjourned the hearing till August 17.
The petition claims that Fatta indulged in hawala activity for the past five to six years and had amassed huge wealth which he allegedly diverted and invested in “real estate, stock market and funding criminal activities.”
The petitioner has also alleged that the main accused has allegedly “perpetrated fraud with the economy of the nation” and “have in all probability facilitated the anti-national/terrorist/criminal activities.”
The Surat police had lodged two FIRs against Afroz Fatta among others based on which the ED launched an investigation. The ED has so far detected a total of Rs 10,000 crore hawala transaction and the money went abroad mostly to Dubai and Hong Kong.
The ED has chargesheeted about 89 persons, including Fatta, Mumbai-based trader Rakesh Kothari among others. In this case ED has also booked Mumbai-based bullion trader Prithviraj Kothari who runs RiddiSiddhi Bullions.
You May Like
Photos
