Hawala agent Money Kalra helped transfer Rs 350 cr ‘drug proceeds’ to Dubai

Hawala agent Money Kalra helped transfer Rs 350 cr ‘drug proceeds’ to Dubai
Chandigarh: Hawala operator Money Kalra arrested by the city police purportedly had connections with Punjab drug lord Akshay Chhabra who was nabbed last year by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) for smuggling significant amount of heroin into Punjab, police sources said.

Money’s involvement came to light during investigations into a cross-border drug smuggling network. His father Surinder Kalra and brother Sunny also have ties with the international drug syndicate.

Residing in Phase-II, Dugri, Ludhiana, Money and his father were implicated for bringing three shipments of heroin from overseas. These illicit packages were hidden in containers labelled as containing juices and tomato ketchup. The Kalra duo reportedly earned a substantial sum, amounting to crores of rupees, for their involvement in the operation.

Police sources said the Kalras facilitated hawala transactions that took place between Chhabra and a drug dealer named Haji Yusuf based in Dubai. It is alleged they transferred approximately Rs 350 crore of drug proceeds to the UAE using hawala channels. Additionally, law enforcement uncovered evidence indicating that Money and his father operated shell companies to launder the proceeds of their drug-related activities.

In a recent development, the city police arrested six individuals on the charges of drug peddling. This operation led them to seize Rs 78 lakh, 200 gm of heroin, 108 gm of “ice” (a form of methamphetamine), and a pistol. One of the apprehended individuals provided information that led the police to Money Kalra, who was captured in Delhi.