Torres Fraud: ED Gets Custody of Hawala Op

Court Observed That Prima Facie, It Appeared That Alpesh Khara Was Involved in Handling and Layering of the Proceeds of Crime in the Case

- Revu Suresh

MUMBAI: The special court trying the Torres Jewellery case has remanded Alpesh Khara, the hawala operator arrested in connection with the investment scam, to the custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) till April 1. Based on the material submitted by the investigating officer, the special court on Wednesday observed that prima facie, it appeared that Khara was involved in handling and layering of the proceeds of crime.

The ED told the court that Khara was the owner of angadia or hawala services, and the money was delivered through a code system developed by Platinum Hern Pvt Ltd, the holding company of the Torres brand. This was done by creating a group on Telegram called Cash Counter, through which the cashiers received instructions to deliver the cash.