Quetta: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Balochistan Zone has arrested eight individuals during separate operations carried out in Chaman and Taftan on charges of involvement in hawala-hundi and illegal currency exchange activities.
According to an FIA spokesperson, authorities recovered PKR 9.9 million along with 218.4 million Iranian rials from the possession of the suspects.
The arrests were made from different locations across Chaman and Taftan.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects were operating unauthorized currency exchange businesses and were actively engaged in hawala-hundi transactions without valid licenses.
During the raids, officials also seized mobile phones, illegal foreign currency, and other crucial evidence linked to the illicit network.
The suspects failed to provide satisfactory explanations regarding the recovered funds.
The FIA has taken the suspects into custody and initiated further investigations to uncover the full scope of the illegal operations.
Illegal money trade, including hawala-hundi and unlicensed currency exchange, remains a serious challenge in Balochistan, particularly in border areas such as Chaman, Taftan, and other trade routes connected to Iran and Afghanistan.
Due to cross-border movement, informal markets, and limited financial regulation in remote regions, these areas are often exploited for unauthorized transfer of funds and foreign currency trading.
Such activities negatively impact Pakistan’s economy by weakening the formal banking system, encouraging money laundering, and facilitating other crimes such as smuggling and terror financing.
Law enforcement agencies, especially the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), regularly conduct crackdowns to curb these networks, seize illegal currency, and bring those involved to justice.
Strengthening border monitoring, public awareness, and promoting legal financial channels are essential to controlling illegal money trade in Balochistan.
