Suspect in 500 crore Katni hawala scam of Madhya Pradesh found dead

Correspondent

NewsBits.in

BHOPAL: A key suspect in the Rs 500 crore Katni hawala scandal that had recently rocked Madhya Pradesh, has now been found dead in mysterious circumstances in Haridwar.

Santosh Garg, a coal trader, was accused of opening fake account(s) for his company. Nearly 90 crore transaction took place through the fraud.

After a case was registered, police had launched a hunt for him and he was absconding. He is reported to have been died because of liver ailment.

The news has come as a shock in the state where dozens linked to Vyapam scandal were found dead. The CBI is conducting probe into those deaths.

A police team has reached Haridwar. The post-mortem would be conducted to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the death. The hawala scam had brought to fore names of several influential politicians and the police officer who presided over the probe.

SP Gaurav Tiwari, was shifted out of Katni despite huge public support for him. Mining barons Satish and Manish Saraogi, minister Sanjay Pathak and several other influential politicians' role was under scanner. 

Saraogi brothers and Pathak's photo with Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was released by Congress to show their closeness with Shivraj. Innumerable fake accounts were opened with forgery in documents and KYCs were prepared to illegal transfer black money post demonetization. 

The coal trader had got account opened in the name of one, Amar Dahayat. The latter had complained to police that false account in his name was opened and illegal transfer to the tune of crores took place from the account. 

Subsequently, FIR was registered. It was hoped that Garg's interrogation would lead police to the entire racket and more names about the suspects involved in the fraud. The suspect's death is likely to impact probe.