Pune: Hawala racket busted at Budhwar Peth, 50 lakh seized

On Dec 3, 2020

Pune: The city police on Wednesday busted a hawala racket operating out of a building in Budhwar Peth and seized Rs 50 lakh during the raid. The raid was conducted at a building in front of Dagdusheth Ganapati temple on Shivaji Road in Budhwar Peth. The cash recovered from the building is believed to come from the illegal sale of gutka, tobacco products, which are banned in Maharashtra.

In a joint operation carried out by Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone I) Priyanka Narnaware, Police Inspector (Unit IV) Rajnish Nirmal of the Crime Branch and assistant inspector Abhijit Chougule and their teams raided three blocks in the commercial building and another block inside Budhwar Peth. Nine people have been detained for questioning after the raids.

PI Rajnish Nirmal’s team had on November 22 found a large amount of packed gutka from Navnath Kalbhor of Loni Kalbhor near Hadapsar. Police registered a case against Kalbhor, who supplies gutka in the rural parts of Pune district. Investigations into this case led to the recent raids.

The crime branch officer said “We received information that some men were involved in collecting cash generated from illegal gutka trade and moving the racket from one place to another. We have detained nine men for questioning.”

The entire process continued in the police station till late at night. Police are probing the money trail. “There could be more people involved in the racket,” a police officer said.