FIA arrests two over alleged hundi, hawala networks in Dera Ghazi Khan
The Federal Investigation Agency arrested two suspects in Dera Ghazi Khan on Wednesday in separate raids on alleged hundi hawala networks, seizing more than Rs0.7 million. Both raids were carried out by the agency’s DG Khan Circle under the supervision of the composite circle’s deputy director.
In the first raid, the agency arrested a suspect accused of running an illegal money transfer network. The FIA said it recovered Rs680,000 in cash, a mobile phone and records of illegal money transactions from him.
In the second raid, carried out on a store at Pull Notak, the agency arrested a suspect named Saim, who is also accused of involvement in the hundi and hawala business. Officers recovered Rs25,000 in cash, a mobile phone and other evidence from the premises.
How the hundi hawala raids unfolded
Hundi and hawala are informal money transfer systems that move funds through networks of dealers rather than banks or licensed exchange companies. The operators settle accounts through codes and personal trust, which makes the flows difficult to trace. The FIA says these channels are used to bypass foreign exchange rules and shift money for purposes including trade misinvoicing, tax evasion and smuggling.
According to the agency, the deputy director of the composite circle supervised both Wednesday operations in Dera Ghazi Khan. The FIA said further investigation is under way and that the seized phones and transaction records will be examined to trace the networks behind the two suspects.
The crackdown forms part of a wider campaign the agency runs against illegal currency dealers and money changers operating without licences, especially in districts along trade routes and near the border belt.
Separately, proclaimed offender held in Bahawalpur
In a separate action, the FIA’s Bahawalpur Composite Circle arrested a proclaimed offender, Saeed of Lodhran district. He was wanted in FIR No 160/2024 registered by the Anti-Human Trafficking Circle under Section 22-B of the Emigration Ordinance, 1979.
The agency alleges that Saeed took Rs195,000 from a woman on the pretext of sending her son to Dubai on an employment visa. According to the FIA, the visa was never delivered and the money was not returned.
Why the state keeps targeting hundi networks
Pakistan’s authorities treat hundi and hawala as a drain on the country’s foreign exchange. Money that moves through these informal channels never enters the banking system, so it does not add to remittance inflows recorded by the State Bank.
Enforcement agencies argue that each raid weakens a network and pushes more users toward legal banking and exchange channels. Dealers face prosecution under foreign exchange and anti-money laundering laws, with seized cash and devices treated as case property.
The suspects were arrested for allegedly operating the networks, and further investigation is under way, the FIA said.
Related
- Pakistan Navy seizes $96m narcotics in Arabian Sea
- Mohammad Rizwan gets second NCCIA notice
- Gulbai Chowrangi brothers shot dead
FAQs
What did the FIA seize in Dera Ghazi Khan?
The agency seized Rs680,000 from one suspect along with a phone and transaction records, and Rs25,000 plus a phone and evidence from a second suspect at a store in Pull Notak.
What are hundi and hawala?
They are informal money transfer networks that move funds outside the banking system through dealers and coded instructions, bypassing foreign exchange regulations.
Who was arrested in Bahawalpur?
A proclaimed offender named Saeed of Lodhran, wanted in a 2024 FIR for allegedly taking Rs195,000 from a woman on the pretext of arranging a Dubai employment visa for her son.
