Cash heist with hawala link busted, five held in Mangaluru

A cash heist with a hawala link was busted and five youth were arrested by police on Friday.

Mangaluru Commissioner of police N Shashi Kumar said one Abdul Salaman had complained of being robbed by unidentified miscreants on March 4. The gang after threatening him with a knife had sped with his two-wheeler and cash worth Rs 16.2 lakh. Abdul claimed that he was carrying the money to buy gold jewellery for his niece's wedding.

Based on the CCTV footage obtained from the spot, police had filed cases under section 392 and 397. But during the course of the investigation, police traced the links of the heist to a systematic hawala transaction. The commissioner said the police realised that the robbery was stage-managed to earn quick money by agents and sub-agents without arousing the suspicion of their hawala operators.

Commissioner said the Hawala agents, sub-agents, collect money from their `boss' and deliver it to different persons in Mangaluru. The cash is either delivered in person or through bank transactions and depositing in the bank accounts of beneficiaries with the help of cash deposit machines. Hawala agents or sub-agents receive a monthly pay of Rs 8,000 and commission up to Rs 500 per transaction.

The commissioner informed that these hawala agents also follow a set of rules. They do not use mobile phones during a financial transaction. Based on the robbery incident police arrested five youth including Mohammed Rifath Ali alias Raashith (fish vendor from Ullal), Ashfaq alias Juttu (works in APMC and hails from Faisal Nagara), Jafar Sadiq (who is into sand business and hails from BC Road), Mohammed Ismail runs a business and is a Gulf returnee and K H Mayyadi, a driver from Padubidri.

The police recovered Rs 95,000 cash, two bikes, a car and have launched a search for a dozen more accused youth. Incidentally, Abdul Salaman, who filed a complaint is a Hawala agent and was absconding with his family. Commissioner said Ismail is the main mastermind who had planned the heist. Rifath and Sadiq were at the spot of stage-managed robbery while Ashfaq and Ismail were the coordinators for the robbery.

There are many cases registered under different IPC sections against Mohammed Rifath in Bantwal town, Mangaluru Rural, Ullal stations. While Asfaq has many cases against him in Mangaluru Rural station and Kankanady station. There are many cases against Mohammed Ismail in Kankanady station.