Chennai: Police seized ₹1.08 crore in cash from a private courier parcel van near Red Hills on Saturday and are probing to find out whether the money was transported through hawala channels. The cash was recovered during a routine vehicle check at a police checkpoint in Padianallur, where Red Hills police intercepted a parcel van travelling from Andhra Pradesh to Chennai.During the inspection, police found three bags concealed among courier parcels. On opening them, officers discovered ₹1.08 crore in cash. Police questioned Praveen, 36, and Pawan, 28, both from Andhra Pradesh, and the van driver, Rambabu, 40. Preliminary inquiry revealed that Praveen and Pawan had boarded the van en route and claimed they were carrying the cash from Vijayawada to Chennai to buy gold jewellery.However, they failed to produce documents establishing the source or purpose of the money. Police are investigating whether the cash is linked to hawala transactions or any other illegal financial activity.Officials said that once the questioning is complete, the three, along with the seized cash, will be handed over to the Income Tax Department in Chennai for further investigation.
