Over 3 crores in old notes were seized after a raid at hotel in Delhi's Karol Bagh.
Highlights
- Income Tax, Delhi Police raid hotel after tip-off, 5 men caught
- Money belongs to Mumbai-based hawala operators, say police
- Specialists were hired so notes could not be detected by airport security
New currency worth Rs 2.25 crore was seized during raids in Bengaluru and over three crores in banned currency were found in a hotel in Delhi this morning, packaged to escape detection at airports.
Over two crores, mostly in new notes, have been seized in Chandigarh and two-wheelers carrying new notes worth Rs 67 lakh were also caught in Goa.
In Delhi, five people were caught with the money - Rs 3.25 crore - in Karol Bagh, a popular market area teeming with budget hotels. The money was to be flown to Mumbai and allegedly belongs to hawala operators.
The cash was kept in different suitcases and a cardboard box. According to investigators, specialists were hired to pack the notes so that the money could not be detected by airport scanning machines. The tapes and wires that were used were also meant to cheat X-ray machines, the police say.
Officials of the Income Tax department and the Delhi police jointly raided the hotel after a tip-off that people working as couriers for illegal money transfer operations were preparing to move a huge amount of cash to Mumbai.
Tax officials have seized the cash and are analysing the mobile phone data of the arrested men, which allegedly has details of those involved in money-laundering.
There have been almost daily cash hauls during raids in the past few weeks, amid a massive cash crunch after the government banned Rs 500 and 1,000 notes last month.
Recently, customs officers at the Delhi airport caught a couple returning from Bangkok, who were trying to smuggle 16 kg gold in diapers.