In a major breakthrough, the Special Operations Group (SOG) of Surat police has uncovered a Rs 100 crore hawala scam operating out of the Athwalines area, with links to multiple international locations. The scam, involving the illegal transfer of hawala funds via cryptocurrency, has led to the arrest of three key individuals, while others remain at large.
The accused, including Maqbool Doctor (58), his son Kasif Doctor (32), and their employee Maa Nada (25), were arrested after a raid at the Safiya Manjil building in Surat’s Athwalines area. According to Surat Police Commissioner Anupam Singh Gahlaut, the operation was disguised under the cover of an online travel booking office. Over the past two years, the group had been collecting cash from local angadia firms in Surat, depositing it into local bank accounts, and then converting the funds into Tether (USDT) cryptocurrency. These funds were then transferred internationally using crypto wallets.
The investigation revealed that the hawala money was routed to several countries, including China, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Colombia, and South Africa, suggesting the operation’s global reach. The police seized a significant amount of evidence during the raid, including 31 chequebooks, 38 debit cards, 497 Airtel SIM cards, seven phones, a money counting machine, Rs 16.95 lakh in cash, and foreign currencies from Thailand, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Cambodia.
The police suspect the operation may have ties to terror funding, given the international scope and the large volume of transactions over the past two years. As a result, central agencies such as the ED (Enforcement Directorate), IB (Intelligence Bureau), and NIA (National Investigation Agency) have been informed and will be involved in further investigations.
