New Delhi, Apr 28 (PTI) The Income Tax department on Friday conducted searches against a ring of hawala dealers who are alleged to have sent crores of funds abroad through hawala and cryptocurrency-linked channels, official sources said.

They said the department is covering at least half-a-dozen premises in Delhi-NCR as part of the action launched to check tax evasion.

Also Read | Bengaluru: Man Steals Rs 5.6 Lakh From Wife to Play Online Rummy, Police Complaint Filed.

The sources said some hawala dealers, their associates and those who used their services to send crores of rupees abroad under the garb of "media advertisements" through hawala and cryptocurrency-linked channels are under the scanner of the department.

The department is looking at documents at some offices of these operatives in old Delhi and a few other locations.

Also Read | Andhra Pradesh Shocker: Upset Over Failing in Intermediate Exams, Nine Students Die by Suicide in Separate Incidents.

Hawala denotes to illegal and fraudulent KYC-based monetary transactions through both banking and non-banking channels.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)