Latest news with #Hawala
Business Recorder
2 days ago
- Business Recorder
Crackdown on human traffickers, illegal currency networks launched
ISLAMABAD: In a series of coordinated operations across multiple regions, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested 10 suspects involved in human trafficking, visa fraud, and illegal currency exchange. The crackdown was carried out on the directives of FIA Director General Rafat Mukhtar Raja, as part of an intensified campaign to dismantle smuggling and financial crime networks operating across the country. FIA Multan Zone arrested three individuals, including Feroze Qaiser Sagu, a most-wanted human smuggler. Other arrested suspects include Muhammad Azam and Muhammad Wazir. The trio allegedly defrauded citizens by promising employment abroad, extracting large sums of money without delivering. Feroze Qaiser, apprehended in Khanewal, has nine cases registered against him in the Multan Zone and additional charges in Faisalabad. He reportedly scammed over Rs. 8.2 million from victims by offering fake job placements in Dubai and Saudi Arabia. Muhammad Azam is accused of defrauding Rs. 600,000 under the pretence of employment in Azerbaijan. Muhammad Wazir allegedly extorted Rs. 2.36 million from citizens for promised jobs in the UAE. FIA Lahore Zone conducted raids in Lahore and Islamabad, arresting Naveed Tahir and Zubair Muhammad, both charged with visa fraud. Naveed Tahir allegedly took Rs. 1.68 million from a citizen, promising a job in Lithuania Zubair Muhammad is accused of swindling Rs. 700,000 under the guise of securing a US visa. Both suspects failed to provide the promised visas and had gone into hiding before being apprehended. In another significant operation, FIA Balochistan Zone arrested five individuals — Akmal Khan, Saifullah, Basheer Ahmed, Abdul Qayoom, and Abdullah — involved in illegal currency exchange and Hawala/Hundi operations in Quetta and Chaman Authorities seized a large sum of currency during the raids, including: Rs. 684,000 in Pakistani rupees 230.5 million Iranian Rials over 135,000 Afghanis 700 US dollars, 200 Saudi Riyals, and 150 Australian Dollars. Investigators also recovered cheque books, receipts, and bank slips linked to Hawala operations. The suspects were allegedly operating without proper licenses and failed to explain the source of the recovered funds. All suspects have been taken into custody and investigations are ongoing. According to the FIA spokesperson, the agency remains committed to a zero-tolerance policy against human trafficking, visa fraud, and illegal financial operations.
India Today
5 days ago
- Business
- India Today
Not just fake embassy, 'Ladonia envoy' formed an East India Company as well
The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) has uncovered new details in its investigation into Harshvardhan Jain, the alleged mastermind behind a fake embassy operation run in to the STF, Harshvardhan Jain had established several fake companies abroad, such as East India Company UK limited, including in the UK, Mauritius, Dubai, and African companies registered under his name include: State Trading Corporation, Island General Trading Co Llc (Dubai), Indira Overseas Ltd (Mauritius), and Cameron Ispat Sarl (Africa). These companies were allegedly used for money laundering and fraudulent During interrogation, Jain reportedly told STF officials that he acted on the instructions of Ehsaan Ali Syed, a close aide of controversial godman Chandraswami. Ehsaan, originally from Hyderabad and currently holding Turkish citizenship, had helped Jain set up multiple shell companies while living in London. These firms were reportedly used to facilitate Hawala transactions and large-scale financial STF found that between 2008 and 2011, Ehsaan and his team secured fake loans worth approximately 70 million pounds and collected around 25 million pounds as commission before fleeing. In 2022, on a request from the Swiss government, Ehsaan was arrested by London police. In 2023, a London court approved his extradition to Switzerland. STF is currently probing Harshvardhan Jain's role in Ehsaan's on documents recovered from Jain, authorities have discovered multiple bank accounts in his name, both in India and abroad. These accounts are now under scrutiny as part of the ongoing FIR has been registered against Harshvardhan Jain at Kavi Nagar police station under several sections including Section 318(4), 336(3), 338, and 340 of the IPC. The STF is now working to obtain Jain's custody for further Pradesh's Special Task Force (STF) on Thursday busted a fake embassy operation running out of a lavish bungalow in Ghaziabad's posh Kavi Nagar area. The alleged mastermind, 47-year-old Harshvardhan Jain, presented himself as the ambassador of not one, but several self-proclaimed micronations - Westarctica, Seborga, Poulvia, and ruse, which included diplomatic number-plated luxury cars, forged documents, and fake foreign connections, was used to defraud companies and individuals by offering jobs, overseas deals, and influence in return for hefty commissions.- EndsMust Watch IN THIS STORY#Ghaziabad
India Today
6 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
Five men detained with Rs 3.80 crore in suspected Hawala cash in Tamil Nadu
Five men were detained and Rs 3.80 crore in cash was seized by police near the Meenakshi Amman temple in Tamil Nadu's Madurai district in what is suspected to be a major Hawala police, acting on a tip-off about an illegal money transfer, had deployed teams across key locations and were monitoring vehicle movements closely. Based on specific inputs, Vilakuthun Police received information about suspicious activity in a car parked in the Madurai Corporation's parking lot near the police team surrounded the vehicle and found Rs 3.80 crore in cash inside. Five individuals present at the location were immediately detained for questioning. Income Tax officials were informed and reached the Vilakuthun police station, where the cash was formally handed over. Authorities have launched a probe to track the source of the money, the network involved, and why Madurai was chosen for the investigation is March this year, the Enforcement Directorate arrested Wahidur Rahman Jainullabudeen, a Coimbatore-based physical trainer and senior functionary of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI), for allegedly using hawala channels to fund its political wing, the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI).- EndsMust Watch IN THIS STORY#Tamil Nadu
Reuters
7 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
UK sanctions target people-smugglers, small boat dealer in migrant crackdown
LONDON, July 23 (Reuters) - Britain announced sanctions on Wednesday on 24 people and one company it said were involved in people-smuggling, as part of efforts to cut the number of migrants arriving on small boats. Prime Minister Keir Starmer promised to "smash the gangs" behind irregular migration when he came to power last year, but in the first six months of 2025 the number of migrants coming across the Channel has jumped nearly 50% to 20,000 from the same period last year. The new sanctions regime, first outlined in January, will target those who supply and finance small boats, forge fake documents and funnel cash through an underground payment system known as Hawala, the government said. "From Europe to Asia we are taking the fight to the people-smugglers who enable irregular migration, targeting them wherever they are in the world and making them pay for their actions," foreign minister David Lammy said in a statement. The sanctions are designed to disrupt the flow of money by freezing property and bank accounts, the government said. It named seven Iraqi-linked individuals it said were involved in people-smuggling, as well as eight people from the Balkans who supply fake passports. Sanctions were also imposed on a company in China which advertises its small boats online explicitly for the purpose of people smuggling, and a number of people who work from Belgium and Serbia, and who were described as "gangland bosses" by Britain.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
First sanctions targeting people-smuggling gangs take effect
The first wave of sanctions aimed at key figures in people-smuggling gangs have come into force in a bid to hit those involved in assisting illegal immigration to the UK. They target 25 individuals and entities including a small boat supplier in Asia and gang leaders based in the Balkans and North Africa. They also hit 'middlemen' putting cash through the Hawala legal money transfer system in the Middle East, which is used in payments linked to Channel crossings. Albanian Bledar Lala, leader of the Belgian operations of an organised smuggling group, and a company in China that advertised small boats for people smuggling on an online marketplace are among those sanctioned. Today I launched the world's first sanctions regime against people smugglers and organised immigration crime, which are key drivers of irregular migration to the UK. It is our moral duty to smash this evil trade. These callous criminals will have nowhere to hide. — David Lammy (@DavidLammy) July 22, 2025 Foreign Secretary David Lammy said it was a 'landmark moment in the Government's work to tackle organised immigration crime (and) reduce irregular migration to the UK'. 'From Europe to Asia we are taking the fight to the people-smugglers who enable irregular migration, targeting them wherever they are in the world and making them pay for their actions. 'My message to the gangs who callously risk vulnerable lives for profit is this: we know who you are, and we will work with our partners around the world to hold you to account.' The measures aim to target organised crime gangs wherever they are in the world and disrupt their flow of cash, including freezing bank accounts, property and other assets, to hinder their activities. It will be illegal for UK businesses and banks to deal with anyone named on the list. The move follows legislation being introduced under the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill to ramp up enforcement powers for police forces and partners to investigate and prosecute people smugglers.
