13-member team to probe hawala cases in Kerala: Minister

Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 5 (UNI) Kerala Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan today told the State Assembly that a 13-member team was appointed by the Government to probe hawala transactions in the State.

Replying to questions from Mr V S Sunil Kumar (CPI) and others, he said the team would probe hawala cases, crimes related to hawala, fake currency and the alleged nexus between the police and Government officials in these cases.

Mr Balakrishnan said the Government would take stern action against those police officials who had hawala connections.

Stating that the increasing hawala-mafia connections was threatening the State, he said the Government had decided to check their operations in the State.

The Home Minister said the Government had noted that the coastal areas were being used for illegal activities by the mafia. The Government would open eight coastal police stations in the State and the first one would start operations at Neendakara in Kollam district.

Mr Balakrishnan admitted that the hawala money was being used for buying land and other activities.

He said the intelligence agencies had reported that replacing of the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA) with Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) by the Centre had caused an increase in transactions in the State. The Government would apprise its anguish over the issue to the Centre.

Special facilities would be introduced in the district headquarters to detect fake currencies, he added.

UNI