Surat: The Special Operations Group (SOG) of Surat police uncovered a major hawala scam involving approximately Rs 100 crore, operating from the Athwalines area, and booked six individuals. The accused received hawala funds from abroad through nine Surat-based angadia firms, converted the money into Tether (USDT) cryptocurrency, and transferred it back to various countries using crypto wallets.

Three individuals namely Maqbool Doctor, his son Kasif Doctor, and Maa Nada have been arrested, while three others, including the main suspect Mahesh Desai from Ahmedabad, who ran the operation from Dubai, are wanted. The police has found links to countries such as China, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Colombia, and South Africa, suggesting the racket’s scope may expand as investigations continue.

According to Surat police commissioner Anupam Singh Gahlaut, a raid was conducted on Safiya Manjil in the Athwalines area based on a tip-off. Maqbool Doctor (58), his son Kasif Doctor (32), and their employee Maa Nada (25) were found running the racket under the cover of an online travel booking office. Over the past two years, they collected cash from Surat’s angadia firms, deposited it in local bank accounts, converted it into USDT cryptocurrency, and transferred it to wallets in countries like China, Bangladesh, and Dubai.

During the raid, police seized 31 chequebooks, 38 debit cards, 497 Airtel SIM cards, seven phones, a money counting machine, and Rs 16.95 lakh in cash, along with foreign currencies from Thailand, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Cambodia. Central agencies, including the ED, IB, and NIA, will be informed, given the potential links to terror funding, as transactions over the past two years suggest a larger operation.

The accused reportedly charged Rs 10,000 to convert Rs 1 lakh into cryptocurrency, using part of the commission for bank account holders and other expenses while keeping the rest as profit.

Additionally, the accused had set up a company in Dubai to facilitate visa processing and purchased property in Dubai and Navsari. Police found 28 FIRs related to bank accounts linked to the suspects, as well as accounts in foreign banks, including the Agricultural Bank of China.

Maqbool met Mahesh Desai in Dubai two years ago, where Desai offered him a share of the profits from the hawala operation. The two continued their dealings, meeting in Surat and Ahmedabad to further the scheme. Desai holds an Indian passport with a Dubai visa. DeshGujarat