Money laundering gang busted, nearly 95 tonnes of gold seized

[email protected] (Khaleej Times)
December 27, 2011

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Abu Dhabi, December 27: Security agencies on Sunday announced that they had busted one of the world’s largest money laundering networks which was involved in the smuggling of around 95,000kg of gold and SR10 million (over Dh9 million) in cash.

The operation was led by State Security with help from law enforcement and investigating agencies against the international gang of criminals who planned to use the UAE banking system to launder the black money and gold.

The gang planned to smuggle 94,410kg of pure gold from an African country and SR10 million in cash into the UAE through the Ghuwaifat check post on the Saudi border. “The gang of criminal was planning to channel the gold into the banking system and then transfer them to a number of Arab and other foreign countries, but the full-proof inspection measures adopted by the Ministry of Interior at land and air ports had aborted the smuggling attempt and apprehended members of the network,” the official Emirates News Agency (Wam) reported.

However, the nationalities and full names of the apprehended gang members were not disclosed as the investigation is ongoing.

The ring planned to smuggle the gold and money through oil tankers from an African country to a neighbouring country where three members, identified as A.M.A, H.B. and A.A, carried the consignment for delivery to another group of the gang who were identified as owners of the tankers for further transportation to the UAE.

The tanker owners were tasked to smuggle the gold and cash into the UAE and hand them over to their accomplices here.

The entire plan was aborted when undercover agents of the State Security and police waited for the consignment to arrive at the Ghuwaifat border post, and a key gang member was arrested red-handed. This led to the arrest of other accomplices. The culprit was arrested in possession of SR10 million hidden in the oil tanker. Further investigation and follow-up helped in rounding up the entire network.

Money laundering has been a pressing issue for the international community, particularly the UAE due to its fast economic development and growth. Money launderers have been using different methods, including Hawala, to launder black money through operators based here and front countries in different parts of Asia.

To curb the misuse of Hawala transaction of money, the Central Bank has already started registering all Hawala operations. The Central Bank has asked all such money transaction operators to declare their transactions and operate through legal channels.

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Agencies
March 26,2020

Puducherry,Mar 26: Congress legislator from Kamaraj Nagar constituency John Kumar has been booked on charges of violating lock-down rules, Lt Governor Kiran Bedi said on Thursday.

In a Whats app posting she further said that an FIR has been registered under the Disaster management Act.

She stated John Kumar in an irresponsible manner allowed more than 200 people to gather outside his house and distributed doles personally when lock down was enforced in the country.

A criminal case has been registered against him for blatant violation of law despite mass information and media messages.Instead of following the law, he chose to violate it,she further stated.

The LG added that as per the ground report by IGP Surendra Yadav, there was perceptible improvement in enforcement of lock down and public were aware and cooperative.Vehicles carrying essential supplies and personnel were moving and every day is an improvement.

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News Network
May 28,2020

Hyderabad, MAY 28: A three-year-old boy who accidentally fell into a newly drilled open borewell in Telangana's Medak district was found dead in the early hours of Thursday, police said.

The kid's body was retrieved at around 4 am after a nearly 10 hours' long rescue operation involving different agencies, they said.

"He died a while before we evacuated him, most likely due to the mud that covered him from the top sealing off necessary oxygen supply, " Medak District Superintendent of Police Chandana Deepti told PTI.

The boy had accidentally slipped into the 120- feet borewell at around 5 pm on Wednesday in an agricultural field located in Papannapet mandal of the district when he was walking with his grandfather and father, police earlier said.

As part of rescue efforts, a parallel trench was dug along the borewell hole with the help of earth excavating machines and oxygen was supplied into it, but the efforts went in vain as the boy's body was found stuck at a depth of around 25 feet, the police said.

Apart from the police, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel were also involved in the rescue operation.

The borewell into which the child fell was one among the three dug by the family since Tuesday night to try and find water for their fields. But none of them yielded any water, police had said.

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Agencies
May 25,2020

Hyderabad, May 25: Indicating foul play in the death of nine people, including six of a family, whose bodies were fished out from a well near Warangal, a forensic expert on Sunday virtually ruled out suicide theory, saying it appeared seven of them had been dragged and thrown into the water body.

Mystery shrouded the death of nine people, including six of a family, whose bodies were found in a well, five of them on Friday and four on Thursday, on the outskirts of Warangal in Telangana.

Police stepped up the probe and forensic analysis was also underway in the case.

The forensic expert, who visited the crime scene as part of the investigation citing preliminary tests, said that the seven of nine people had scratch injuries and appeared to have been "dragged" and "thrown" into the well.

Forensic reports are expected in 10 days, the forensic expert told media on Sunday adding after examining the crime scene it appears that the deaths were not suicides.

"We have preserved all organs and the same were sent to forensic science laboratory (FSL) for examination... some two or three persons might have been involved in the crime. There are scratch injuries on the bodies," he said.

"It appears that they were thrown into the water... There were no injuries on the child's body. We are awaiting the forensic report (to ascertain) whether they were poisoned. It didn't appear as if they committed suicide," the expert, who performed the post-mortem said.

Police sources said at least two people were picked up for questioning.

Bodies of the head of the family, wife, daughter and three-year old grandson were found floating and fished out on Thursday.

On Friday morning, some bodies were seen floating following which police pumped out the water from the well and found others.

The 48-year old man had migrated from West Bengal over 20 years ago and had settled down here. His family had been staying in two rooms on the premises of the unit, police had earlier said.

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