Indore Police on Thursday said investigation into a suspected hawala operation involving Rs 1.3 crore hidden inside a snack parcel has been handed over to the Income Tax department.
The cash was recovered late Monday at Rajratan Tours and Travels on Manik Bagh Road. Staff grew suspicious after the sender, later identified as Navneet Verma, behaved anxiously and kept returning to the counter.
They inspected the parcel and found 13 bundles of Rs 500 notes—each worth Rs 10 lakh—wrapped in newspapers and concealed beneath six 250-gram packets of namkeen. An extra packet held Rs 50,000 in mixed denominations.
Verma was arrested and booked under Sections 129, 135, and 170 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The cash was impounded under Section 106 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita for unlawful movement of currency.
ACP Rubina Mizwani said, “Whenever a seizure exceeds Rs 10 lakh, we must escalate it to financial enforcement.” She added that whether the funds had anti-national links would be assessed by the IT probe.
The operation was led by SHO Neeraj Birthare, UPI Vikas Sharma, SI Rajesh Soni, and constables Gangaka, Gaurav Gurjar, and Pawan.
