In the hawala racket of Hizbul Mujahidin (HM) busted by the forces here on Saturday, links to cross border smuggling and drug mafia came to the fore after preliminary investigations, the police said on Sunday, adding that search is on for a man living close to the line of Control and believed to be one of the kingpins.
Highly placed sources told Greater Kashmir that all the four OGWs arrested by police, including three from Shopian in Kashmir and one from Rajouri, are being questioned and the police is trying to get to the root of the racket.
“It has come to fore that the racket was being operated from across the LoC and was a well-knit module between some OGWs of Kashmir valley and Rajouri district. The men were being issued instructions from across the border,” sources said.
“As per the preliminary investigations, it has come to fore that this racket has links with a major cross-border smuggling racket, comprising of money and drugs,” sources said.
Sources to Greater Kashmir further said that the exact location from where the cross-border smuggling was going on is not clear yet, but as the arrested OGW of Rajouri lives in a village close to LoC in Keri Peer Badesar, the police suspects that things were going on somewhere in the area between Lam and Keri.
Highly places sources also revealed that the police are looking out for a person, who lives in a village close to LoC in Keri Kotli, as he is belived to be a kingpin in the hawala money racket. The arrested OGW from Rajouri, identified as Mohammed Arif, a resident of Keri Kotli near PB lives in the area close to LoC in a high security zone while the supposed kingpin is also belived to be living in the same security zone.
When contacted by Greater Kashmir, SSP Rajouri Yougal Manhas said that investigation in the case is going on and details will be shared later.
It is pertinent to mention here that Rajouri police and army’s 48 RR, in a joint operation on Sunday, arrested four men from a car in Kallar and recovered Rs 1 lakh from them, which is believed to be hawala money. After this, a case under relevant sections was registered.