QUETTA: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Tuesday claimed to have arrested four currency dealers for allegedly running an illegal money exchange business.

The FIA’s Commercial Banking Circle (CBC) on a tip-off raided Bukhari money exchange centre at Iqbal road area.

The FIA said huge quantities of foreign currency, including US dollars, Turkish lira, Iranian rial, Chinese yuan, UAE dirham and Saudi riyals, were also recovered during the crackdown.

After the crackdown, angry currency dealers closed their shops and blocked the main Iqbal road by putting barricades and burning tyres.

They encircled the FIA officials and journalists in the market and pelted them with stones. They also damaged raiding party’s vehicles and DSNG vans of different news channels covering the raid.

Addressing a press conference later in the evening, FIA CBC Deputy Director Muhammad Ali Abro siad the operation was launched against currency dealers who were running illegal money exchanges without obtaining licenses from the State Bankof Pakistan.

He claimed that the arrested money changers were involved in transfer of money through hawala and hundi and money laundering. He said dealers and traders did not cooperate with the agency and resisted the operation.

He added four alleged currency dealers were arrested and their laptops and other documents were taken into custody.

“We have conducted 11 raids in a month against those involved in illegal currency exchange business,” he added.

Published in Dawn, December 21st, 2022