Kanpur: Hawala and Betting Racket Busted, Crime Branch Seizes 61.84 kg Silver and ₹2 Crore Cash; Five Arrested

In a major crackdown, the Kanpur Crime Branch has exposed a large-scale hawala and betting racket, seizing 61.84 kilograms of silver and ₹2 crore in cash during a late-night raid. Five accused, including the house owner, have been arrested in connection with the case.

According to police officials, the raid was conducted on Thursday night at a house located in the Dhankutti area of Kanpur. During the search, the Crime Branch recovered a huge quantity of silver, cash amounting to ₹2 crore, and two currency notes from Nepal. The counting of cash continued late into the night using a currency-counting machine.

Betting and Hawala Operations Uncovered

Investigations revealed that the accused were involved in hawala transactions as well as illegal betting through cricket betting applications. Several mobile phones containing betting apps, illegal stock market trading applications, and materials used for hawala transactions—including torn currency notes—were recovered from the premises.

Police sources said the gang was also in contact with Ankush Agarwal, an international bookie from Agra, against whom the Gangster Act had earlier been invoked. The network is suspected to have links extending to Jaipur, Delhi, and even other countries.

Accused Caught Counting Cash

Kanpur Police Commissioner Raghubir Lal stated that the office was being operated from the second floor of a building located near the SBI branch, under the guise of trading activities. In reality, the premises were being used for hawala dealings and betting operations.

At the time of the raid, the accused were reportedly counting cash and were arrested on the spot without being given a chance to flee. The arrested individuals have been identified as Bansraj, Shivam Tripathi, Rahul Jain, Sachin Gupta, and Ramakant.

Cash Mostly in ₹500 Notes

Police officials confirmed that out of the ₹2 crore seized, approximately ₹1.80 crore was in ₹500 denomination notes, while the remaining amount consisted of ₹200 and ₹100 notes. Preliminary investigations suggest that the group was operating an offline betting system, commonly known as “mouth trading,” along with hawala transactions.

Further investigation is underway to trace the full extent of the racket and identify other individuals linked to the network.