Telangana’s EAGLE team arrested a key hawala operator involved in laundering drug money for Nigerian cartels operating across India. Police seized ₹3 crore in cash linked to narcotics proceeds during the operation in Mumbai.The arrest of Dargaram Rataji Prajapati is part of the ongoing investigation following the arrest of Nigerian national Onyeisi Esomchi Kenneth, also known as Maxwell and Emmanuel Bediako by Rachakonda Narcotics Police.Dargaram was one of the main handlers of the drug money network that operated through hawala channels in Mumbai, Delhi, and Ahmedabad.EAGLE carried out the operation and seized the money from a hawala firm.Earlier, during a raid on M/s Bharath Kumar Chaganlal & Company at Phool Gully, Kalbadevi, in Mumbai, Dargaram escaped before the police could apprehend him. The company was being used to channel drug proceeds of Nigerian traffickers through hawala routes.After the crackdown, Dargaram went underground, frequently changing locations and erasing contact numbers and WhatsApp chats related to his illegal business. Acting on specific information, Eagle Force located him and took him into custody.During interrogation, he confirmed the roles of his associates Chetan Singh, Ronak Prajapati (Manager), and Chetan Mavji, who regularly collected and delivered cash to members of the Nigerian drug network. He also revealed that apart from Mumbai, their hawala operations extended to Javeri Chambers, Ratnapur in Ahmedabad, managed by Devji and Dilip, and to Chandni Chowk in New Delhi, managed by Mukesh.Investigations showed that the Nigerian traffickers used the laundered money to export fabrics, clothes, human hair, and other goods to Nigeria. After collecting drug proceeds, Uttam Singh informed Chetan Singh, who coordinated with Bharath Kumar Chaganlal & Co. for cash collection and ensured delivery to Nigerian cargo offices in Pydhonie and Mandvi areas of Mumbai.So far, 25 people have been arrested in connection with the hawala drug money network, and ₹3.084 crore in total has been seized.Police also found that Onyeisi Esomchi Kenneth, arrested earlier, used five passports, four Nigerian and one Ghanaian, to operate in India, raising concerns over how deported foreign nationals re-enter the country under false identities to continue drug trafficking.Published - October 10, 2025 09:01 pm IST