AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat Police has unearthed a network of around 30 people from outside the state who are being allegedly used by the Aam Aadmi Party for distributing hawala money for the assembly elections.
The statement given by AAP’s Bardoli assembly constituency candidate Rajendra Solanki to the Surat Rural Police has led to this disclosure. Solanki told the police in a written statement that the person who has been identified as his driver was actually an AAP worker from outside the state.
“Saurabh has been identified as my driver. But he is not my driver. He is working for AAP, and I have met him just two or three times. He was sent from Delhi by the party,” said Rajendra Solanki. “When I went to the police station to help Saurabh, he told me the money was meant for AAP party’s campaign expenses and that he had brought it from an angadia (hawala operator),” said Solanki.
While investigating the source of the stolen black money, the police found that for the 182 seats in Gujarat, more than 30 people from outside Gujarat have been hired by AAP to allegedly to collect hawala money from angadias and distribute to partymen for meeting election expnses. Santosh Parasar alias Saurabh Pandey, named in the police complaint in connection with the Rs 20-lakh loot, is one such person who was given the responsibility of handling cash for nine South Gujarat seats.
Police said that during transfer of money from one place to another, special care is taken to ensure that the local party leaders remain unaware of the operation. This is done to keep the money trail a secret.
The incident that blew the lid off the hawala operation was the October 12 loot in Surat.
Santosh Parashar, the alleged driver of Rajendra Solanki had parked Solanki’s car near Bardoli police station when two unidentified persons with covered faces broke a window of the car and looted the bag containing Rs 20 lakh cash.
A man named Aadil Memon saw the loot. He chased the robbers on his motorcycle for a couple of km, and called for help. After trying to escape, the robbers threw the bag on the road and fled. Aadil carried the bag full of cash to the police station.
Candidates spills the bean
A statement given by AAP’s Bardoli assembly constituency candidate Rajendra Solanki to Surat Rural Police has led to the disclosure that outsiders used to run a hawala network. Solanki told the police in a written statement the person who has been identified as his driver was actually an AAP worker from outside the state.