Builder’s Daughter Among Three Detained in Pune-Dubai Hawala Racket, Let Off Later

Reported by Mubarak Ansari
Pune, 25th February 2025: The Customs Department has uncovered a hawala racket involving USD 4 lakh (approximately ₹3.5 crore) and arrested two individuals in connection with the case. The arrested accused have been identified as Khushbu Agarwal (41), the owner of a tours and travel company in Pune, and Mohammad Amir (50), a travel agent from Mumbai. Authorities have seized the illegal money and confiscated foreign currencies from 17 different countries from Amir’s residence.

According to officials, Agarwal had arranged for three women—Jasleen Kaur Gurudutta, Anchal Rajesh Mittal (a builder’s daughter), and Sakshi Dipesh Shah—to travel to Dubai on February 16. The women were allegedly unaware that they were carrying the illegal cash. Upon arrival at Dubai Airport, customs officials discovered USD in their baggage during an inspection. When questioned, the women failed to provide a valid explanation for the money.

Following the investigation, Dubai authorities deported them to Pune on a SpiceJet flight. Upon their return, Indian customs officials detained and questioned them, leading to the arrest of Khushbu Agarwal.

Further investigation revealed that Agarwal had sourced the foreign currency from Mohammad Amir, a Mumbai-based travel agent. Acting on this lead, customs officials raided Amir’s residence, where they discovered foreign currency from 17 different countries. Both Agarwal and Amir were initially remanded to police custody until February 24. On Monday, the court ordered them to be placed under judicial custody.

Despite being caught carrying the money, Anchal Rajesh Mittal and the other two women have not been arrested, as officials ‘believe’ they were unaware of the illegal transaction.

The customs department continues its investigation to determine the full extent of the hawala network and identify other possible individuals involved in the case.