The Enforcement Directorate (ED) probing the money laundering case against Al Zarafa Manpower Consultants has found that the proprietor of the agency, Uthup Varghese, was in constant touch with Suresh Babu, a foreign exchange agent who was arrested from Kottayam on Wednesday.
According to officials, Babu and Varghese had contacted each other several times over phone between January 2014 and March 2015. Investigations also revealed that Suresh had sent at least Rs. 88 crore to Uthup through hawala channels. “Two of Suresh’s employees, Sreejith and Siju, used to collect the money from Al Zarafa’s Kochi office. The collected amount would be later handed over to Babu, who delivered it to Varghese through hawala channels,” sources said. As the Income Tax and the CBI registered cases against Varghese, Sreejith went into hiding on a direction from his employer, they added.
Babu was produced before the Ernakulam District Principal and Sessions Court on Thursday and was remanded in custody. The court is slated to consider a petition by the agency seeking his custody on Friday. Meanwhile, Babu has filed a petition seeking bail, which will also be considered by the court on Friday.
According to the ED, Al Zarafa is estimated to have swindled at least Rs. 234 crore out of nurses. As per the case, Al Zarafa, which had contracted to recruit 1,200 nurses for the Kuwait Ministry of Health, charged Rs. 19.50 lakh instead of the prescribed amount of Rs. 19,500.
According to the ED, Al Zarafa is estimated to have swindled at least Rs. 234 crore out of nurses.
