FIA makes big success in raids against foreign currencies hoarders
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Islamabad: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has cracked down on hawala and illegal currency exchange and smuggling. So far, 390 raids have been conducted, resulting in the seizure of a total of 3.86 billion rupees worth of domestic and foreign currencies.
A meeting was held at FIA headquarters under the leadership of Director General FIA, Mohsin Hassan Butt, attended by Additional Director Generals, Zonal Directors, and other senior officers. It was discussed in the meeting that crackdowns are underway against individuals involved in illegal currency exchange.
During the briefing, it was revealed that during the past year, 390 raids were conducted against individuals involved in hawala and illegal currency exchange, leading to the arrest of 557 suspects through 382 cases, while 51 inquiries were also completed.
In a somewhat unrelated note, it was stated, "Regardless of all this, may Allah grant Bilawal a long life; he will eventually become the Prime Minister: JUI and PPP face-off." Further details shared during the briefing indicated that during the past year, Peshawar Zone arrested 250 suspects, Lahore Zone arrested 68, Gujranwala Zone arrested 24, Faisalabad Zone arrested 48, Multan Zone arrested 43 individuals. Similarly, Islamabad Zone arrested 20, Karachi Zone arrested 64, Hyderabad Zone arrested 23, and Balochistan Zone arrested 17 suspects.
The arrested individuals were involved in illegal currency exchange without licenses, and during the raids in the past year, a total of over 3.86 billion rupees worth of domestic and foreign currencies were seized. This currency included 650,334 US dollars and more than 309 million rupees in other foreign currencies. The seized currency also included over 3.35 billion Pakistani rupees. In addition to the crackdown on hawala, more than 28 plazas/markets/shops were sealed, and assistance from law enforcement agencies was obtained to facilitate the arrests of the suspects.
Director General FIA, Mohsin Butt, emphasized the need for swift action against those involved in hawala transactions, and he called for the expeditious completion of pending cases. He also stressed the importance of solid evidence in cases related to the smuggling of foreign currencies.
