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Tag: Abbas Ansari

  • Wife of jailed UP MLA Abbas Ansari held for allegedly planning husband’s escape

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW: Nikhat Ansari, the daughter-in-law of gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari and wife of his MLA son Abbas, was arrested on Saturday for allegedly planning her husband’s escape from jail.

    The UP Police also recovered two mobile phones, Rs 21,000 in cash, some gold ornaments and Saudi Arabian currency from Nikhat when she had gone to the Chitrakoot jail to meet Abbas Ansari on Friday.

    Meanwhile, the DIG jail has suspended eight police personnel over the incident including Jail Superintendent Ashok Kumar Sagar and deputy jailor Sushil Kumar, jail warden Jagmohan and unidentified jail employees who were on duty in Chitrakoot jail. 

    Abbas Ansari, a lawmaker from the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), has been in jail since November 2022 in connection with a money laundering case.

    As per the police sources, Abbas’s wife Nikhat Ansari had reached Chitrakoot jail without making an entry into the visitor’s register on Friday. A team of the district administration and police conducted a surprise inspection at the jail on Friday and caught Nikhat inside a room next to the jail superintendent’s office. Police said she had entered the jail without completing the formalities. Abbas was also found using his wife’s mobile phones inside the jail, while Nikhat has been accused of attempting to destroy data from her cellphone before police seized it.

    On the basis of the complaint of Sub-Inspector in-charge of Ragauli Jail Police Station Shyamdev Singh, an FIR has been registered against five people, including Jail Superintendent, the deputy jailor, a constable, Nikhat and their driver.

    They have been booked under various IPC sections, including 222 (intentional omission to apprehend on the part of public servant bound to apprehend person under sentence or lawfully committed), 186 (Whoever voluntarily obstructs any public servant in the discharge of his public functions…), 506 (criminal intimidation), 201 which deals with tampering with evidence, and 120B (criminal conspiracy).

    “We have arrested Nikhat Bano and her driver in the case. The role of other accused are being probed,” said Bhanu Bhaskar, additional director-general (Prayagraj zone).

    According to the police, Nikhat had visited the jail every day at around 11 am and stayed for around three to four hours. Abbas was also said to be using his wife’s cellphone to threaten witnesses and prosecuting officers as well as to extort money from people. She also allegedly used to bribe jail staff. Nikhat, with unidentified jail staff, was preparing an escape plan for Abbas, according to the FIR.

    Chitrakoot DM Abhishek Anand and SP Vrinda Shukla had visited the prison in plain clothes as part of a surprise inspection during which they could not find Abbas Ansari in his barrack.

    When questioned by the senior officials, a jail official revealed had that the MLA and his wife were in the room next to the superintendent’s office. When the team rushed to the room and found Nikhat there, but Abbas had by then been taken back to his barrack by a warden.

    LUCKNOW: Nikhat Ansari, the daughter-in-law of gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari and wife of his MLA son Abbas, was arrested on Saturday for allegedly planning her husband’s escape from jail.

    The UP Police also recovered two mobile phones, Rs 21,000 in cash, some gold ornaments and Saudi Arabian currency from Nikhat when she had gone to the Chitrakoot jail to meet Abbas Ansari on Friday.

    Meanwhile, the DIG jail has suspended eight police personnel over the incident including Jail Superintendent Ashok Kumar Sagar and deputy jailor Sushil Kumar, jail warden Jagmohan and unidentified jail employees who were on duty in Chitrakoot jail. 

    Abbas Ansari, a lawmaker from the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), has been in jail since November 2022 in connection with a money laundering case.

    As per the police sources, Abbas’s wife Nikhat Ansari had reached Chitrakoot jail without making an entry into the visitor’s register on Friday. A team of the district administration and police conducted a surprise inspection at the jail on Friday and caught Nikhat inside a room next to the jail superintendent’s office. Police said she had entered the jail without completing the formalities. Abbas was also found using his wife’s mobile phones inside the jail, while Nikhat has been accused of attempting to destroy data from her cellphone before police seized it.

    On the basis of the complaint of Sub-Inspector in-charge of Ragauli Jail Police Station Shyamdev Singh, an FIR has been registered against five people, including Jail Superintendent, the deputy jailor, a constable, Nikhat and their driver.

    They have been booked under various IPC sections, including 222 (intentional omission to apprehend on the part of public servant bound to apprehend person under sentence or lawfully committed), 186 (Whoever voluntarily obstructs any public servant in the discharge of his public functions…), 506 (criminal intimidation), 201 which deals with tampering with evidence, and 120B (criminal conspiracy).

    “We have arrested Nikhat Bano and her driver in the case. The role of other accused are being probed,” said Bhanu Bhaskar, additional director-general (Prayagraj zone).

    According to the police, Nikhat had visited the jail every day at around 11 am and stayed for around three to four hours. Abbas was also said to be using his wife’s cellphone to threaten witnesses and prosecuting officers as well as to extort money from people. She also allegedly used to bribe jail staff. Nikhat, with unidentified jail staff, was preparing an escape plan for Abbas, according to the FIR.

    Chitrakoot DM Abhishek Anand and SP Vrinda Shukla had visited the prison in plain clothes as part of a surprise inspection during which they could not find Abbas Ansari in his barrack.

    When questioned by the senior officials, a jail official revealed had that the MLA and his wife were in the room next to the superintendent’s office. When the team rushed to the room and found Nikhat there, but Abbas had by then been taken back to his barrack by a warden.

  • Uttar Pradesh: Mau MLA Abbas Ansari held by ED in money laundering case, produced in MP/MLA court

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW: Mau MLA Abbas Ansari, son of former MLA and mafia Mukhtar Ansari, was “arrested” by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Prayagraj late on Friday night, said police sources on Saturday. Abbas is an MLA from Mau (Sadar) assembly segment from Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) of OP Rajbhar.

    On Saturday afternoon, the ED officials produced the SBSP MLA in Prayagraj MP/MLA court amid tight security.

    Abbas Ansari has been on the ED scanner over money laundering allegations.  He was summoned by the agency for questioning on Friday afternoon related to a case of money laundering registered against his father in July 2021.

    Abbas appeared in ED’s Prayagraj office on Friday and after a day-long grilling, he was “arrested” and taken to Moti Lal Nehru Divisional (Colvin) Hospital for a medical examination around midnight, said the sources. 

    Abbas’s driver Ravi Kumar Sharma of Ghazipur was also detained along with Abbas. However, ED did not confirm Abbas Ansari’s detention or “arrest” till now officially.

    Significantly, ED had issued summons to over half a dozen relatives and associates of Mukhtar Ansari, lodged in Banda jail, in the money laundering case registered against him in March 2021.

    ED had issued a lookout notice on October 11 against Abbas Ansari and his mother, Mukhtar’s wife, Afshan Ansari. Following this, ED summoned Abbas and his younger brother Umar on May 20 for questioning.

    In response to the summons, Abbas along with his lawyer arrived at the ED office on Friday afternoon. After almost nine-hour of questioning, he was ‘arrested’.

    ED is currently investigating the movable and immovable assets of Mukhtar, his kin and associates, which they allegedly earned through illegal means. Around a dozen places associated with Mukhtar and his relatives have so far been raided by ED in Ghazipur, Lucknow and Delhi.

    ED officials had then also issued notices to Mukhtar’s brother MP Afzal Ansari, brother-in-law Atif Raza, son Abbas Ansari and some other persons including close relatives and associates, and called them for recording their statements. However, Mukhtar’s wife Afshan has been elusive and has failed to respond to ED summons so far.

    Enforcement Directorate teams raided five spots in Ghazipur, four in Lucknow and three in Delhi and seized files related to properties, and transactions along with laptops and several mobile phones recently.

    Abbas Ansari has been absconding in a case lodged against him under Arms Act in the state. While the UP police failed to track him, the Mau MLA moved to Supreme Court to stay on arrest and was given relief by the apex court following which he surfaced in Saifai in mid-October to pay his tributes to SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav who passed away on October 10.

    LUCKNOW: Mau MLA Abbas Ansari, son of former MLA and mafia Mukhtar Ansari, was “arrested” by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Prayagraj late on Friday night, said police sources on Saturday. Abbas is an MLA from Mau (Sadar) assembly segment from Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) of OP Rajbhar.

    On Saturday afternoon, the ED officials produced the SBSP MLA in Prayagraj MP/MLA court amid tight security.

    Abbas Ansari has been on the ED scanner over money laundering allegations.  He was summoned by the agency for questioning on Friday afternoon related to a case of money laundering registered against his father in July 2021.

    Abbas appeared in ED’s Prayagraj office on Friday and after a day-long grilling, he was “arrested” and taken to Moti Lal Nehru Divisional (Colvin) Hospital for a medical examination around midnight, said the sources. 

    Abbas’s driver Ravi Kumar Sharma of Ghazipur was also detained along with Abbas. However, ED did not confirm Abbas Ansari’s detention or “arrest” till now officially.

    Significantly, ED had issued summons to over half a dozen relatives and associates of Mukhtar Ansari, lodged in Banda jail, in the money laundering case registered against him in March 2021.

    ED had issued a lookout notice on October 11 against Abbas Ansari and his mother, Mukhtar’s wife, Afshan Ansari. Following this, ED summoned Abbas and his younger brother Umar on May 20 for questioning.

    In response to the summons, Abbas along with his lawyer arrived at the ED office on Friday afternoon. After almost nine-hour of questioning, he was ‘arrested’.

    ED is currently investigating the movable and immovable assets of Mukhtar, his kin and associates, which they allegedly earned through illegal means. Around a dozen places associated with Mukhtar and his relatives have so far been raided by ED in Ghazipur, Lucknow and Delhi.

    ED officials had then also issued notices to Mukhtar’s brother MP Afzal Ansari, brother-in-law Atif Raza, son Abbas Ansari and some other persons including close relatives and associates, and called them for recording their statements. However, Mukhtar’s wife Afshan has been elusive and has failed to respond to ED summons so far.

    Enforcement Directorate teams raided five spots in Ghazipur, four in Lucknow and three in Delhi and seized files related to properties, and transactions along with laptops and several mobile phones recently.

    Abbas Ansari has been absconding in a case lodged against him under Arms Act in the state. While the UP police failed to track him, the Mau MLA moved to Supreme Court to stay on arrest and was given relief by the apex court following which he surfaced in Saifai in mid-October to pay his tributes to SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav who passed away on October 10.

  • ED arrests Mukhtar Ansari’s MLA son Abbas in money laundering case

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate has arrested Abbas Ansari, Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party MLA from Mau and son of gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, in a money laundering case, officials said on Saturday.

    Abbas Ansari, 30, was arrested after a long questioning session at the federal agency’s office in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, they said.

    He has been arrested in the money laundering case being investigated against his father and family, they said. Last month, the ED had attached seven immovable assets of Mukhtar Ansari worth Rs 1.48 crore (registry value).

    Mukhtar Ansari, a five-time former MLA, is currently lodged in jail in Uttar Pradesh’s Banda. The 59-year-old was questioned by the ED in this case last year.

    The agency had also raided the official residence of his elder brother and BSP MP Afzal Ansari in Delhi and some locations in Ghazipur, Mohammadabad (in Ghazipur district), Mau and Lucknow in August.

    The money laundering case against Mukhtar Ansari stems from multiple FIRs registered by the Uttar Pradesh Police apart from two lodged against a company called Vikas Constructions (a partnership firm) that was run by his wife, two brothers-in-law and others.

    Mukhtar Ansari is under the ED scanner in connection with at least 49 criminal cases against him including those on charges of land grabbing, murder and extortion.

    He is facing trial in several cases, including an attempt to murder and murder, in Uttar Pradesh.

    In August, the Ghazipur district administration had seized two plots of land, measuring 1.901 hectares and valued at over Rs 6 crore, that was purchased using alleged illegal earnings of Mukhtar Ansari, according to police.

    In July, the Uttar Pradesh Police had attached Afzal Ansari’s assets worth Rs 14.90 crore under the Gangster Act.

    NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate has arrested Abbas Ansari, Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party MLA from Mau and son of gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, in a money laundering case, officials said on Saturday.

    Abbas Ansari, 30, was arrested after a long questioning session at the federal agency’s office in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, they said.

    He has been arrested in the money laundering case being investigated against his father and family, they said. Last month, the ED had attached seven immovable assets of Mukhtar Ansari worth Rs 1.48 crore (registry value).

    Mukhtar Ansari, a five-time former MLA, is currently lodged in jail in Uttar Pradesh’s Banda. The 59-year-old was questioned by the ED in this case last year.

    The agency had also raided the official residence of his elder brother and BSP MP Afzal Ansari in Delhi and some locations in Ghazipur, Mohammadabad (in Ghazipur district), Mau and Lucknow in August.

    The money laundering case against Mukhtar Ansari stems from multiple FIRs registered by the Uttar Pradesh Police apart from two lodged against a company called Vikas Constructions (a partnership firm) that was run by his wife, two brothers-in-law and others.

    Mukhtar Ansari is under the ED scanner in connection with at least 49 criminal cases against him including those on charges of land grabbing, murder and extortion.

    He is facing trial in several cases, including an attempt to murder and murder, in Uttar Pradesh.

    In August, the Ghazipur district administration had seized two plots of land, measuring 1.901 hectares and valued at over Rs 6 crore, that was purchased using alleged illegal earnings of Mukhtar Ansari, according to police.

    In July, the Uttar Pradesh Police had attached Afzal Ansari’s assets worth Rs 14.90 crore under the Gangster Act.

  • Allahabad High Court reserves order on bail plea of Mukhtar Ansari’s MLA son Abbas

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW: The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court on Friday reserved its order on the anticipatory bail plea of mafia-turned politician Mukhtar Ansari’s MLA son Abbas Ansari in connection with an arms licence case.

    The bail plea is being heard in the court of Justice D K Singh.

    Moving the plea, Abbas had said he was innocent and victimised due to political vendetta.

    Opposing the plea, the state counsel argued that the arms and cartridges recovered from him were made of metal, and metallic items are not used in sports.

    The special MP-MLA Court on August 24 had declared him an absconder in the case.

    It was alleged in the FIR that Abbas obtained a gun license from Lucknow and later he got it transferred to Delhi where he purchased many arms at the changed address.

    Police had filed a charge sheet against him on December 24, 2020.

    LUCKNOW: The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court on Friday reserved its order on the anticipatory bail plea of mafia-turned politician Mukhtar Ansari’s MLA son Abbas Ansari in connection with an arms licence case.

    The bail plea is being heard in the court of Justice D K Singh.

    Moving the plea, Abbas had said he was innocent and victimised due to political vendetta.

    Opposing the plea, the state counsel argued that the arms and cartridges recovered from him were made of metal, and metallic items are not used in sports.

    The special MP-MLA Court on August 24 had declared him an absconder in the case.

    It was alleged in the FIR that Abbas obtained a gun license from Lucknow and later he got it transferred to Delhi where he purchased many arms at the changed address.

    Police had filed a charge sheet against him on December 24, 2020.

  • HC grants Abbas Ansari protection from arrest till April 27 over speech threatening officials

    By PTI

    ALLAHABAD: The Allahabad High Court on Tuesday gave Abbas Ansari, the son of jailed gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, interim protection from arrest over his speech during an election meeting threatening to “settle the account” with government officials.

    A bench of Justices Sunita Agarwal and Vikas Kunvar Srivastav ordered that the petitioner, Abbas Ansari, shall not be arrested till April 27 and he will be under obligation to cooperate in the investigation.

    “In case of any act of the petitioner of non-cooperation in the ongoing investigation, it would be open for the respondents to approach this court for vacation of this interim order,” the bench said.

    The case was registered on March 4 against Ansari, who won the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls from Mau on the ticket of the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), which was in a tie-up with the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party.

    Ansari moved the court challenging the FIR and also sought protection from arrest in the matter.

    His counsel submitted that the local police was trying to arrest him in the case by adding more grave charges.

    The petitioner is an elected MLA of Mau and he is being targeted to not allow him to take oath of office, the counsel said.

    The Election Commission had then barred Ansari from campaigning for 24 hours for his speech.

    In a purported video clip of his speech, Ansari is seen telling a crowd during an election event that he has talked to Yadav to make sure that no transfer or posting takes place in the six months after the party comes to power in the state.

    “Jo yahan hai wo yahan hi rahega, pehle hisaab-kitab hoga uske baad unke jaane ke certificate par mohar lagaya jaega (Those who are here, will remain here. First account will be settled with them and only after that their departure papers will be stamped,” Ansari is purportedly seen saying in the video.

    The SP-led alliance lost the election held over February and March to the BJP.

  • UP Elections: EC bans Mukhtar Ansari’s son from poll campaign for 24 hours

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW:  The Election Commission of India, on Friday, put a ban on Abbas Ansari, 30, Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) candidate from Mau Sadar seat and son of mafia don-turned –politician Mukhtar Ansari, from poll campaign for 24 hours  as he was caught on camera  issuing open threats to the government officials during a public meeting in Mau district.

    Mau will vote in Phase-7 on March 7. The EC took cognizance of the video clip going viral on social media showing Abbas Ansari delivering a speech during which he said that no government officials would be transferred for the first six months after the formation of SP and alliance government in UP as their ‘hisab-kitab’ (settling of scores) would be done first.

    “I have told Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav that no transfers or postings of any officer or employees will happen for six months as we will settle the accounts first with the UP administration and only then their transfer certificates will be stamped,” asserted Ansari.

    Meanwhile, the Mau police have registered an FIR against Abbas Ansari at Kotwali police under Section 171F (Offence of undue influence or personation at an election) and Section 506 (criminal intimidation) of IPC.

    Besides, registering an FIR against Abbas Ansari, a report has also been sent to Returning Officer of Mau Sadar Assembly seat for initiating appropriate action,” said Sushil Ghule, Mau SP.

    However, taking cognizance of the Mau police report, the election commission acted against Ansari.

    Videos of Abbas Ansari’s controversial remarks were widely shared, prompting police to take cognizance and begin investigations. 

    ADG Law and Order Prashant Kumar verified the authenticity the video and ordered that an FIR be registeredagainst Ansari for violating the Model Code of Conduct.

    When the campaign for the final phase of UP elections is at its peak, the video of Abbas Ansari threatening police officials has gone viral on social media.

    In this video, Abbas Ansari is seen threatening the officers openly from the stage of the public meeting.

    Significantly, Abbas Ansari’s father Mukhtar Ansari is incarecerated in Banda jail in connection with a number of criminal cases of illegal land-grabbing, extortion, murder, and kidnapping.

    Mukhtar, who used to run fearlessly during the previous SP and BSP regimes, is now moving on a wheelchair even in jail.

    Abbas will be facing off with BJP candidate Ashok Singh in the seat, the BSP’s state president Bhim Rajbhar, and Congress nominee Madhavendra Bahadur Singh.

  • UP HC junks Mukhtar Ansari’s son plea to quash land-grabbing FIR against them

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW: The Allahabad High Court on Wednesday dismissed a plea seeking annulment of an FIR against jailed gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari and his two sons for allegedly illegally grabbing evacuees’ land in the posh Dalibagh area of Lucknow.

    The plea filed by Mukhtar’s sons Abbas Ansari and Umar Ansari was dismissed by the high court’s Lucknow bench of justices Ramesh Sinha and Saroj Yadav.

    Assailing the criminal case lodged against them, Mukhtar’s sons had pleaded that the FIR did not disclose any cognisable offence and it was lodged to settle political scores.

    Opposing the plea, Additional Advocate General V K Shahi submitted to the bench that the investigation has already been concluded against the accused persons in the case and after collecting adequate evidence, the investigating officer has even filed the charge sheet in the court.

    As such, the FIR cannot be quashed, he pointed out.

    “The probe is still going on against Mukhtar while his sons have been charge-sheeted and hence given this fact, the petition filed by Mukhtar’s sons is liable to be dismissed forthwith,” Shahi added.

    Area Lekhpal (revenue officer) had lodged the FIR against Mukhtar and his two sons at the Hazratganj police station on August 27, 2020.

    The land in Dalibagh area on which building was built by Ansari and his sons is “nishkrant sampatti”, belonging to people who have migrated to Pakistan, and the Lucknow Development Authority has already demolished the building, the AAG pointed out to the court.