Police bust Pak-linked hawala racket

Patna police today busted an international hawala racket here having links with Pakistan and arrested three persons in this connection.
Acting on a tip off provided by central intelligence agency, a Patna police team arrested one Ranjit Kumar from near Gandhi Maidan and seized 36 ATM cards, two mobile phones and Rs 40,000 cash from him, a release from office of Senior Superintendent of Police Manu Maharaj said here.
The mobile seized from him contained many telephone numbers of Pakistani origin, the release said.
On interrogation, the accused, a resident of Rikhiya village of Jharkhand's Deogarh district, told police that after receiving instruction from Pakistan on his mobile, he used to withdraw money through ATMs and after deducting his commission used to give the rest of the amount to an office located in Kotwali police station area.

On the basis of this information, the police rushed to the said office and arrested two persons - Rajesh Kumar and Paramhans Pathak - and seized over Rs 15 lakh cash, four mobiles and some documents, the release from SSP office said.
The duo told police that they used to receive and give money to people on instruction given from the said company managers identified as Sunil Kumar and Purushotam Kumar Gupta.
They said they used to cajole people by saying that they have won lottery or some reward and ask them to deposit money in bank accounts which they used to withdraw, the release said, adding many agents were engaged in the operation.

The SSP office release said search was on for the absconding accused and contacts in Pakistan were being verified.