Continuing its crackdown on gold and hawala smuggling, the Kerala Police have seized nearly 150 kg of gold worth Rs 81 crore and registered 337 hawala cases, confiscating about Rs 123 crore in the last five years.
A significant portion of the hawala funds is believed to have been funneled into the state, with the majority of seizures taking place in Malappuram district, according to Kerala police data.
Over the past five years, 188 cases related to gold smuggling were registered, resulting in the seizure of 147.7892 kg of gold. Additionally, 337 hawala cases have been registered since 2020, with Rs 122.55 crore being confiscated.
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The highest seizure of smuggled gold occurred in 2022, when 80 kg of gold was seized across 98 cases. The number and value of seized gold decreased to 61 and 49 kg in the following year. So far, in the current year, 18 kg of gold has been seized.
Hawala fund detection was at its peak in 2023 when the Kerala Police detected 94 cases involving Rs 39 crore. In the previous year, 67 cases worth Rs 35.5 crore were detected. So far in the current year, 67 cases worth Rs 150 crore have been detected.