Enforcement Directorate books five people in Goa for alleged money laundering

PANAJI: Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials in Goa have booked five people, who were found to be involved in smuggling gold, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

Cases have been booked against Shaikh Mohammad Javid and Prakash Manotgi (both from Goa) and Mohammad Saleem Musba, Imtiyaaz Hussain as well as Mohammad Asif (from Karnataka), an ED press note said today.

The accused were arrested by the Air Intelligence Unit of the Customs Department during a raid on July 7, which had yielded 19.49 kg of gold worth Rs 5 crore from Manotgi, who worked as Air India's a ground staff, the press note said.

"The gold was handed over to Manotgi by three people from Karnataka at the airport. Manotgi had confessed that he was entrusted with the task of collecting the gold by Shaikh Javid," the press note said.

Shaikh Javid is allegedly the mastermind behind gold smuggling at the Goa Airport and had attempted to do the same on earlier occasions, the press note said.

Javid owns several properties in Goa suspected to be earned through smuggling, the press note said.