Man detained with Rs 50 lakh 'hawala' money in Gorakhpur

Gorakhpur (UP), Jan 3 (PTI) Police have detained a 52-year-old man after recovering Rs 50 lakh "hawala" money from his possession near the Gorakhpur railway station, officials said on Saturday.

The accused, Rajiv Jaiswal alias Raju, a resident of Siddharthnagar district, arrived at the Gorakhpur bus stand around 5 pm on Friday. He then walked towards Dharamshala Bazaar via the railway station. During this time, two men on a scooter allegedly handed him a bag before leaving the spot, SP City Abhinav Tyagi said.

Jaiswal caught the attention of the police, and on searching the bag, cash amounting to Rs 50 lakh was found, he said.

During questioning, Jaiswal claimed he did not know the scooter-borne men and said he had been asked to deliver the money to another place in the district, the police said.

However, Jaiswal failed to provide any documentary proof or satisfactory explanation regarding the source of the cash, they said.

Given the seriousness of the matter, Cantt police informed the Income Tax department. A joint team later counted the cash using a machine, sealed it and took it into custody.

Tyagi said efforts are on to identify the scooter-borne men and the source of the money. Further investigation is underway. PTI COR CDN APL APL