Thiruvananthapuram: In a major revelation of foreign currency rackets in Kerala, the state government today said there were grounds to believe that the hawala gangs operating in the state had links with anti-national forces.

In a detailed suo moto statement made in the Assembly, Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said analysis of recent cases had strengthened the suspicion that a good portion of hawala money pumped into the state were fake currencies made either abroad or within the country.

Coming in the wake of the High Court strictures against handling of hawala cases by the state police, the minister's statement said illegal transactions running into thousands of crores of rupees were believed to have been taking place in the state. The hawala operations in the state were believed to have links with an array of criminal activities.

Investigations had been going on into the hawala links of a person, who was under observation in connection with the Marad massacre.

Criminal gangs that thrive by robbing the hawala dealers on highways had also been flourishing in parts of Kerala. There had been instances of such gangs, taking advantage of the hawala dealers inability to approach law enforcers when in trouble, indulging in murders and other serious crimes.

A special monitoring cell, comprising ADGP (Intelligence), ADGP (Crimes), IGP (Crimes) and IGP (Internal Security), would be formed for constant monitoring of hawala gangs and their operations, the Minister said.