ED books Chinese national for ‘Rs 1,000 crore hawala racket

The Indian Express 
August 18, 2020

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has registered a case of money laundering against a Chinese national for allegedly running a hawala racket worth an estimated Rs 1,000 crore by floating several shell companies.

Charlie Peng (42), who also goes by the name of Luo Sang, has been charged under various sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), sources said. Peng was first booked by the Delhi Police in 2018 — ED has filed its case based on this FIR.

Peng and some of his alleged associates were searched by the Income Tax Department on August 12. At least two dozen premises, including Peng’s in Gurgaon, were searched.

Peng, according to sources, is alleged to be holding a fake Indian passport and tax officials said he created a “web of sham companies to launder hawala funds to and from China” over the past two to three years. He was involved in import and export of medical and electronic goods and some other items as a front, they said.

According to sources, Peng was arrested by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police in September, 2018 on charges of fraud and forgery and was allegedly running an illegal money changer.

He allegedly got a fake Indian passport from Manipur after marrying a woman there and some fake Aadhaar cards were recovered during searches at his premises. Sources said they are also probing allegations if Peng was “bribing” some Tibetans living in Delhi for getting some work done through them.

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