KOCHI: Enforcement Directorate (ED) sleuths raided the offices of Kerala-based jeweller Joy Alukkas across the country on Wednesday for alleged hawala transactions. In Kerala, searches were held at Alukkas’ head office and his residence in Thrissur.
ED sources said the raids, which began in the morning and continued till evening, were carried out after the agency received a tip-off on hawala transactions involving Alukkas, the managing director of Joyalukkas India Ltd.
“We are probing any violations of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) involving Alukkas. In Thrissur, a team from ED, Kochi, carried out the raid. We recovered documents and electronic and computer devices. The collected material and pieces of evidence will be examined before we go ahead with the process for interrogation,” said a source. Attempts to contact Joy Alukkas bore no fruit.