Gangster Kaushal named 13 hawala agents during interrogation: Cops

Narender Bijarniya, superintendent of police of Palwal, said that they are verifying the names and addresses of the hawala operators and will start conducting raids to arrest them.

The police on Monday said that during interrogation Kaushal allegedly identified 13 Hawala operators (informal monetary operators) who used to send money to him in Dubai. His five close associates who are on the run were operating the network from Faridabad and used to collect protection money from different areas of Haryana after Kaushal used to make extortion calls, police said.

The officials said his gang members used to deliver money at these offices of hawala agents who are operating from Delhi, Gurugram, Rewari and Faridabad. (File photo/ Representative image)

The officials said his gang members used to deliver money at these offices of hawala agents who are operating from Delhi, Gurugram, Rewari and Faridabad.

Narender Bijarniya, superintendent of police of Palwal, said that they are verifying the names and addresses of the hawala operators and will start conducting raids to arrest them. “He has shared the details of these operators and name of his associates who were in touch with them. He used to call these operators from Dubai through virtual numbers and used to threaten them of dire consequences if they shared any details related to him,” he said.

Bijarniya said while being interrogated by the STF, he revealed that he was in touch with some traders in Old Delhi and had met them in the past when he was in Gurugram. “He would meet them in a hotel as he was under police radar. Apart from Delhi, we have received details of other agents. Teams have been formed to conduct raids for their arrest,” he said.

According to police, the intelligence teams are trying to track these hawala agents involved in this illegal business and are helping criminals transfer money. The state police will share their information with their counterparts, the police said.

Managed Teams Like A Pro

Bijarniya said Kaushal operated his gang like a corporate firm and managed five team leaders, all of whom were assigned tasks. He had team leaders in Gururgam, Faridabad and Rewari and they had at least eight members each in their team. “He used to have a video conference with his team members every day to discuss strategies and safety measures while collecting protection money. We had recovered a few recordings of these conference calls in the past and had identified the members. We are yet to arrest the five members, who are on the run,” the Palwal ACP said.

Police said Kaushal had made an extortion call to Haryana Congress leader Vikas Chaudhary and demanded ₹1 crore from him. Chaudhary was shot dead by unidentified men outside a gym in Sector 9 on June 27 this year, allegedly after he refused to pay the sum.

Kaushal’s close aide Sachin Kheri, who is yet to be arrested, was behind the Chaudhary’s murder, the police said, adding that he was handling his extortion business from Faridabad. A team of three associates, identified as Kheri, Mahale and Bholu, was operating out of a condominium in Faridabad and were handling the hawala transactions, the police said.

On June 29, the police had arrested the wife of a Gurugram-based gangster Kaushal, and his domestic help, suggesting his involvement in the conspiracy. The police had said that his wife, Roshni, and domestic help, Naresh, were taking directions from Kaushal.