Lack of evidence likely to stall probe into Maha haul

statesman news service
Mumbai, 3 July
With no credible evidence to link Monday’s night’s huge cache of cash, gold and ornaments at the Mumbai Central Terminus with possible terror funding, the National Investigation Agency ~ which had effected the seizure with the assistance of the Income Tax’s vigilance cell ~ may abandon further probe into the origin and end-user of the unaccounted wealth once the valuation of the haul is completed.
According to Director General I-T (vigilance) Mr Swatantra Kumar, it would take couple of more days to calculate the worth of gold, jewellery and diamonds seized from four trucks on a tip off received by the NIA. The Central agency has completed the questioning of 40 odd people who were booked on the MCT-Ahmedabad Gujarat Mail to carry the consignment to Gujarat. Most of the detained “angadias” or courier service agents have been allowed to go as they have told the interrogators that it had been their routine job to ferry cash, gold, diamonds and other valuables between the two state capitals. 
The traders at the Opera House diamond hub and Zaveri Bazaar claimed the markets have full knowledge of senders and end-users of this sly trade practice of using hawala route for settling accounts. They say such huge consignments are usually handled by the big “angadia” operator known as Jayanti Amba.
“Such transfer of cash and other valuables take place regularly. Every day  hundreds of angadias board and alight the Gujarat Mail as cops conveniently look the other way. Perhaps, some underpaid or ignored go-between involved in these deals might have alerted the NIA,” said a broker in the diamond market.

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