An Excise team arrested five persons from Tamil Nadu after they were found in possession of hawala money worth ₹1.12 crore at Kiliyanthara check-post in Kannur on Tuesday.
The cash was found in a bus coming from Bengaluru. The arrested are R. Muthu, 45, S. Palanimurugan, 42, Vishnu, 20, Sudalai Muthu, 56, and Senthil Kumaran, 50.
According to the Excise department, the Madurai natives were carrying the money from Bengaluru to Kozhikode to purchase gold. “They were carriers who would hand over the money to some individuals in Kozhikode and take the gold to Bengaluru,” said P.P Yeshudasan, Excise Inspector.
The accused will be handed over to the police for further investigation, he added.
Preventive officers Johny Joseph, Nisar, and K.K Sajan, civil excise officers T.O. Vinod and V. Vineesh were part of the Excise team that made the arrest.
