News Analysis India

Tag: money laundering

  • 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.

  • ED gets custody of Chhattisgarh CM’s aide for 4 more days in money laundering case 

    By PTI

    RAIPUR: A special court here on Tuesday allowed the custodial interrogation of bureaucrat Saumya Chaurasia, a deputy secretary posted in Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel’s office, by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for four more days in a money laundering case linked to an alleged coal levy scam in the state.

    The court also extended the judicial custody of Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Sameer Vishnoi, coal trader Suryakant Tiwari and two other accused by four more days in the same case.

    Additional District and Sessions Judge Ajay Singh Rajput extended the ED remand by four days of Chaurasia after she was produced before the court on the expiry of her current custody, said Chaurasia’s lawyer Faizal Rizvi.

    Rizvi said the ED had demanded ten-day custody of Chaurasia, but he opposed the plea in the court citing she had been cooperating in the investigation and appeared nine times before the central agency in response to its summons before her arrest.

    The court also extended the judicial custody of Vishnoi, Suryakant Tiwari, his uncle Laxmikant Tiwari and another coal businessman Sunil Agrawal by four days, he said.

    They will be produced in the court on December 10, Rizvi added.

    Chaurasia, considered an influential bureaucrat, was arrested under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after questioning on December 2.

    The money laundering investigation was launched after the ED took cognisance of an Income Tax department complaint.

    The financial crimes probe agency in October carried out multi-city raids in the state as part of its probe.

    It also arrested IAS officer Vishnoi, coal trader Suryakant Tiwari, his uncle Laxmikant Tiwari and another coal businessman Sunil Agrawal and named them as accused.

    The case pertained to “a massive scam in which an illegal levy of Rs 25 per tonne was being extorted for every tonne of coal transported in Chhattisgarh by a cartel involving senior bureaucrats, businessmen, politicians and middlemen,” the ED had said.

    Chief Minister Baghel had dubbed the central probe agency’s action to arrest Chaurasia as “politically motivated.”

    RAIPUR: A special court here on Tuesday allowed the custodial interrogation of bureaucrat Saumya Chaurasia, a deputy secretary posted in Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel’s office, by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for four more days in a money laundering case linked to an alleged coal levy scam in the state.

    The court also extended the judicial custody of Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Sameer Vishnoi, coal trader Suryakant Tiwari and two other accused by four more days in the same case.

    Additional District and Sessions Judge Ajay Singh Rajput extended the ED remand by four days of Chaurasia after she was produced before the court on the expiry of her current custody, said Chaurasia’s lawyer Faizal Rizvi.

    Rizvi said the ED had demanded ten-day custody of Chaurasia, but he opposed the plea in the court citing she had been cooperating in the investigation and appeared nine times before the central agency in response to its summons before her arrest.

    The court also extended the judicial custody of Vishnoi, Suryakant Tiwari, his uncle Laxmikant Tiwari and another coal businessman Sunil Agrawal by four days, he said.

    They will be produced in the court on December 10, Rizvi added.

    Chaurasia, considered an influential bureaucrat, was arrested under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after questioning on December 2.

    The money laundering investigation was launched after the ED took cognisance of an Income Tax department complaint.

    The financial crimes probe agency in October carried out multi-city raids in the state as part of its probe.

    It also arrested IAS officer Vishnoi, coal trader Suryakant Tiwari, his uncle Laxmikant Tiwari and another coal businessman Sunil Agrawal and named them as accused.

    The case pertained to “a massive scam in which an illegal levy of Rs 25 per tonne was being extorted for every tonne of coal transported in Chhattisgarh by a cartel involving senior bureaucrats, businessmen, politicians and middlemen,” the ED had said.

    Chief Minister Baghel had dubbed the central probe agency’s action to arrest Chaurasia as “politically motivated.”

  • National Herald PMLA case: Cong leader DK Shivakumar appears before ED again

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Karnataka Congress president D K Shivakumar on Monday again appeared before the Enforcement Directorate in Delhi for questioning in the National Herald money laundering case.

    This is the second time that the federal agency is recording his statement in the case that has been registered under the criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

    The 60-year-old former Karnataka cabinet minister told reporters he has furnished all documents sought by the agency in connection with the probe and that he had to depose again despite seeking a deferment of the summons.

    He was last questioned by the ED in the case last month after which he told reporters outside the agency’s office on A P J Abdul Kalam Road in central Delhi that he was asked “a lot of questions” about Young Indian, the company that owns National Herald, his family members, and institutions linked to him.

    Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and other senior Congress leaders like Mallikarjun Kharge and Pawan Bansal have been questioned by the ED over the last few months in the National Herald money laundering case.

    The Gandhis are the majority shareholders of Young Indian.

    ALSO READ | BJP targets Congress over National Herald case, citing late UP CM’s biography

    NEW DELHI: Karnataka Congress president D K Shivakumar on Monday again appeared before the Enforcement Directorate in Delhi for questioning in the National Herald money laundering case.

    This is the second time that the federal agency is recording his statement in the case that has been registered under the criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

    The 60-year-old former Karnataka cabinet minister told reporters he has furnished all documents sought by the agency in connection with the probe and that he had to depose again despite seeking a deferment of the summons.

    He was last questioned by the ED in the case last month after which he told reporters outside the agency’s office on A P J Abdul Kalam Road in central Delhi that he was asked “a lot of questions” about Young Indian, the company that owns National Herald, his family members, and institutions linked to him.

    Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and other senior Congress leaders like Mallikarjun Kharge and Pawan Bansal have been questioned by the ED over the last few months in the National Herald money laundering case.

    The Gandhis are the majority shareholders of Young Indian.

    ALSO READ | BJP targets Congress over National Herald case, citing late UP CM’s biography

  • Mumbai court grants bail to Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut in money laundering case

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: A special court here on Wednesday granted bail to Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut in a money laundering case pertaining to the Patra Chawl redevelopment project.

    Special Judge M G Deshpande, designated to hear cases pertaining to the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), allowed the bail plea of Raut after hearing arguments from both sides.

    The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had arrested Rajya Sabha member Raut in July this year for his alleged role in financial irregularities in connection with the redevelopment of the Patra Chawl (row tenement) in suburban Goregaon.

    He is currently in judicial custody and lodged at the Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai.

    Raut had in his bail plea claimed the case against him was a perfect example of “abuse of power” and “political vendetta”.

    The ED had opposed Raut’s plea, saying he played a major role in the money laundering case related to the Patra Chawl redevelopment and acted “behind the curtains” to avoid the money trail.

    The ED’s probe pertains to alleged financial irregularities in the redevelopment of the Patra Chawl and related financial transactions involving his wife and associates.

    MUMBAI: A special court here on Wednesday granted bail to Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut in a money laundering case pertaining to the Patra Chawl redevelopment project.

    Special Judge M G Deshpande, designated to hear cases pertaining to the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), allowed the bail plea of Raut after hearing arguments from both sides.

    The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had arrested Rajya Sabha member Raut in July this year for his alleged role in financial irregularities in connection with the redevelopment of the Patra Chawl (row tenement) in suburban Goregaon.

    He is currently in judicial custody and lodged at the Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai.

    Raut had in his bail plea claimed the case against him was a perfect example of “abuse of power” and “political vendetta”.

    The ED had opposed Raut’s plea, saying he played a major role in the money laundering case related to the Patra Chawl redevelopment and acted “behind the curtains” to avoid the money trail.

    The ED’s probe pertains to alleged financial irregularities in the redevelopment of the Patra Chawl and related financial transactions involving his wife and associates.

  • Terror funding case: ED attaches J&K separatist Shabir Ahmad Shah’s Srinagar house

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate on Friday said it has attached Jammu and Kashmir separatist leader Shabir Ahmad Shah’s Srinagar house as part of a money laundering probe linked to a case of fuelling terrorist activities in the Union territory.

    The house, worth Rs 21.80 lakh, is located in Botshah colony, Sanat Nagar, in Srinagar’s Barzulla police station area, officials said.

    The money laundering case against Shah stems from an FIR filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in May 2017 against Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed and others under various sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

    “Shabir Ahmad Shah was actively involved in the activities of fuelling unrest in Kashmir valley by way of stone pelting, processions, protests, bandhs, hartals and other subversive activities. He was involved in receiving funds from terrorist organisation Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) and other terrorists outfits based in Pakistan as well as from the Pakistani establishment through hawala and various other means and channels and these funds were then being used for fuelling and supporting militant activities in the Kashmir valley,” the ED said in a statement.

    Shah was arrested by the ED in 2017 from Srinagar and is currently lodged in a Delhi prison.

    NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate on Friday said it has attached Jammu and Kashmir separatist leader Shabir Ahmad Shah’s Srinagar house as part of a money laundering probe linked to a case of fuelling terrorist activities in the Union territory.

    The house, worth Rs 21.80 lakh, is located in Botshah colony, Sanat Nagar, in Srinagar’s Barzulla police station area, officials said.

    The money laundering case against Shah stems from an FIR filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in May 2017 against Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed and others under various sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

    “Shabir Ahmad Shah was actively involved in the activities of fuelling unrest in Kashmir valley by way of stone pelting, processions, protests, bandhs, hartals and other subversive activities. He was involved in receiving funds from terrorist organisation Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) and other terrorists outfits based in Pakistan as well as from the Pakistani establishment through hawala and various other means and channels and these funds were then being used for fuelling and supporting militant activities in the Kashmir valley,” the ED said in a statement.

    Shah was arrested by the ED in 2017 from Srinagar and is currently lodged in a Delhi prison.

  • ED attaches 7 properties of UP gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari in PMLA case

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday said it has attached seven immovable assets of Uttar Pradesh gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari as part of a money laundering investigation against him and his family.

    The properties, provisionally attached under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), are worth Rs 1.48 crore (registry value) while their circle rate at the time of registration was Rs 3.42 crore, the federal agency said in a statement.

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

    The agency had in August 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 state capital Lucknow.

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

    The ED has alleged that the company was used for constructing godowns on public and government land after “encroaching” on them.

    “The godowns were constructed in Mau and Ghazipur districts of Uttar Pradesh. Vikas Construction was being run by Afshan Ansari (wife of Mukhtar Ansari) and her two brothers Atif Raza and Anwar Shahzad, a person identified as Ravindra Narayan Singh, and Zakir Hussain,” the ED said.

    “Uttar Pradesh Police has filed a charge sheet in one of the FIRs registered at Mau in which all the partners of the firm (Vikas Construction) have been named as accused,” it said.

    The probe found, as per the agency, that rent of Rs 15 crore was collected by Vikas Construction from the Food Corporation of India by renting out godowns “illegally” constructed by encroaching public/government land at Mau and Ghazipur districts.

    “This rent was further used to purchase immovable properties in the name of Vikas Construction and Afshan Ansari. Further investigation to trace the remaining process of crime is under progress,” the ED said.

    Mukhtar Ansari is under the ED scanner in connection with at least 49 criminal cases booked against him, including those on charges of land grabbing, murder and extortion. He faces trials in Uttar Pradesh in several cases, including attempt to murder and murder.

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

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

    NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday said it has attached seven immovable assets of Uttar Pradesh gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari as part of a money laundering investigation against him and his family.

    The properties, provisionally attached under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), are worth Rs 1.48 crore (registry value) while their circle rate at the time of registration was Rs 3.42 crore, the federal agency said in a statement.

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

    The agency had in August 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 state capital Lucknow.

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

    The ED has alleged that the company was used for constructing godowns on public and government land after “encroaching” on them.

    “The godowns were constructed in Mau and Ghazipur districts of Uttar Pradesh. Vikas Construction was being run by Afshan Ansari (wife of Mukhtar Ansari) and her two brothers Atif Raza and Anwar Shahzad, a person identified as Ravindra Narayan Singh, and Zakir Hussain,” the ED said.

    “Uttar Pradesh Police has filed a charge sheet in one of the FIRs registered at Mau in which all the partners of the firm (Vikas Construction) have been named as accused,” it said.

    The probe found, as per the agency, that rent of Rs 15 crore was collected by Vikas Construction from the Food Corporation of India by renting out godowns “illegally” constructed by encroaching public/government land at Mau and Ghazipur districts.

    “This rent was further used to purchase immovable properties in the name of Vikas Construction and Afshan Ansari. Further investigation to trace the remaining process of crime is under progress,” the ED said.

    Mukhtar Ansari is under the ED scanner in connection with at least 49 criminal cases booked against him, including those on charges of land grabbing, murder and extortion. He faces trials in Uttar Pradesh in several cases, including attempt to murder and murder.

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

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

  • ED files charge sheet against journo Rana Ayyub in money laundering case

    By IANS

    NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate has filed a charge sheet against journalist Rana Ayyub under the anti-money laundering law, alleging that she utilised publicly raised funds of Rs 2.69 crore for herself and also contravened the foreign contribution law.

    The federal agency filed its prosecution complaint against Ayyub before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh) on October 12.

    “Rana Ayyub launched three fundraiser charity campaigns on ‘Ketto platform’ starting from April, 2020 and collected funds totalling Rs 2,69,44,680,” the ED said in a statement issued on Thursday.

    The campaigns, it said, were meant to raise funds for slum dwellers and farmers; relief work for Assam, Bihar and Maharashtra, and help Ayyub and her team to help those impacted by COVID-19 in India.

    The probe found, the agency said, that the funds raised on the online platforms were received in the accounts of Ayyub’s father and sister and subsequently transferred to her personal accounts. “Ayyub utilised these funds to create a fixed deposits of Rs 50 lakh for herself and also transferred Rs 50 lakh in a new bank account. The investigation found that only about Rs 29 lakh was used for relief work,” it claimed.

    “In order to claim more expenses towards relief work, fake bills were submitted by Ayyub and subsequently, bank balances in the accounts of Ayyub amounting to Rs 1,77,27,704 (including FD of Rs 50 Lakh) were attached under the PMLA vide a provisional attachment order dated 04.02.2022,” it said.

    The ED alleged Ayyub “illegally” raised the Rs 2.69 crore funds and “cheated” general public donors.

    “These funds were not used for the intended purpose and instead used for creation of assets for herself. Ayyub has tried to project these funds as untainted and thus has laundered the funds received from general public,” the agency alleged.

    “Ayyub also received these funds from foreign countries without any approval or registration from the government which is required under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, 2010,” it said.

    The investigation by ED has “established that Ms Rana Ayyub had launched the aforesaid campaigns with the sole intention to cheat the general public and acquired proceeds of crime in form of FD and balances in bank accounts projecting them as untainted”, the agency said.

    The money laundering case against her stems from a September, 2021 FIR of Ghaziabad Police related to alleged irregularities in donor funds.

    Ayyub had earlier rejected these allegations saying the money laundering charges levelled against her were “preposterous and wholly mala fide”.

    NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate has filed a charge sheet against journalist Rana Ayyub under the anti-money laundering law, alleging that she utilised publicly raised funds of Rs 2.69 crore for herself and also contravened the foreign contribution law.

    The federal agency filed its prosecution complaint against Ayyub before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh) on October 12.

    “Rana Ayyub launched three fundraiser charity campaigns on ‘Ketto platform’ starting from April, 2020 and collected funds totalling Rs 2,69,44,680,” the ED said in a statement issued on Thursday.

    The campaigns, it said, were meant to raise funds for slum dwellers and farmers; relief work for Assam, Bihar and Maharashtra, and help Ayyub and her team to help those impacted by COVID-19 in India.

    The probe found, the agency said, that the funds raised on the online platforms were received in the accounts of Ayyub’s father and sister and subsequently transferred to her personal accounts. “Ayyub utilised these funds to create a fixed deposits of Rs 50 lakh for herself and also transferred Rs 50 lakh in a new bank account. The investigation found that only about Rs 29 lakh was used for relief work,” it claimed.

    “In order to claim more expenses towards relief work, fake bills were submitted by Ayyub and subsequently, bank balances in the accounts of Ayyub amounting to Rs 1,77,27,704 (including FD of Rs 50 Lakh) were attached under the PMLA vide a provisional attachment order dated 04.02.2022,” it said.

    The ED alleged Ayyub “illegally” raised the Rs 2.69 crore funds and “cheated” general public donors.

    “These funds were not used for the intended purpose and instead used for creation of assets for herself. Ayyub has tried to project these funds as untainted and thus has laundered the funds received from general public,” the agency alleged.

    “Ayyub also received these funds from foreign countries without any approval or registration from the government which is required under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, 2010,” it said.

    The investigation by ED has “established that Ms Rana Ayyub had launched the aforesaid campaigns with the sole intention to cheat the general public and acquired proceeds of crime in form of FD and balances in bank accounts projecting them as untainted”, the agency said.

    The money laundering case against her stems from a September, 2021 FIR of Ghaziabad Police related to alleged irregularities in donor funds.

    Ayyub had earlier rejected these allegations saying the money laundering charges levelled against her were “preposterous and wholly mala fide”.

  • Delhi excise policy: ED conducts fresh raids at 35 locations 

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The ED on Friday launched fresh raids in connection with its money laundering investigation into alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy, official sources said.

    The searches are being carried out at about 35 locations in Delhi, Punjab and some places in Hyderabad, they said.

    Some liquor distributors, companies and linked entities are being searched, the sources said.

    The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has conducted more than 103 raids in this case till now and had also arrested Sameer Mahandru, a liquor businessman and managing director of liquor manufacturing company Indospirit last month in the case.

    The money laundering case stems from a CBI FIR.

    The liquor scheme came under the scanner after the Delhi LG recommended a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities in the implementation of Delhi’s Excise Policy 2021-22.

    He had also suspended 11 excise officials in the matter.

    NEW DELHI: The ED on Friday launched fresh raids in connection with its money laundering investigation into alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy, official sources said.

    The searches are being carried out at about 35 locations in Delhi, Punjab and some places in Hyderabad, they said.

    Some liquor distributors, companies and linked entities are being searched, the sources said.

    The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has conducted more than 103 raids in this case till now and had also arrested Sameer Mahandru, a liquor businessman and managing director of liquor manufacturing company Indospirit last month in the case.

    The money laundering case stems from a CBI FIR.

    The liquor scheme came under the scanner after the Delhi LG recommended a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities in the implementation of Delhi’s Excise Policy 2021-22.

    He had also suspended 11 excise officials in the matter.

  • PFI involved in money laundering, ED tells court which sends 3 accused to jail for 14 days

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Popular Front of India (PFI) has been involved in continuous offences of money laundering over the years, the Enforcement Directorate Friday told a Delhi Court which remanded three arrested office bearers of the banned outfit to 14 days of judicial custody.

    The agency also said that its investigation had revealed that the accused persons played an “active role” in raising or receiving “bogus cash donations on behalf of PFI.”  The agency arrested the three accused, Perwez Ahmad, President of PFI Delhi, Mohd.

    Ilias, general secretary of the Delhi unit, and its office secretary Abdul Muqeet on September 22 for their alleged role in the offence of money laundering in the guise of cash donations.

    Additional Sessions Judge Shailender Malik remanded the three accused to 14 days of judicial custody after they were produced before him on completion of their seven days of custodial interrogation.

    The ED in its remand application said “Prevention of money laundering Act (PMLA) investigation has revealed that as part of a criminal conspiracy hatched by PFI office bearers over the past many years, suspicious funds from within the country and abroad have been raised by PFI and related entities,” It also said that the funds were “clandestinely remitted” to India and deposited in their bank accounts.

    Elaborating further, the agency said that the funds were layered, placed, and integrated through the numerous bank accounts of the organisation as well as other PFI members or sympathisers.

    “Thus, PFI and its related entities have been involved in the continuous offence of money laundering over the years,”ED said.

    “Investigation qua the accused persons has revealed that they have played an active role in (raising or receiving ) bogus cash donations on behalf of PFI,” ED added.

    The accused also claimed and projected PFI’s unaccounted cash, received through unknown and suspicious sources, as legitimate, it said.

    As the investigation in the case was continuing and required the gathering of additional information along with the examination of voluminous data from digital devices, the court could grant judicial custody of the accused, the remand application said.

    Further, judicial custody was also required to ensure that the accused did not influence witnesses or tamper with evidence, the application said. Earlier, on September 24 the court had allowed the ED seven days’ custody of the three accused.

    NEW DELHI: Popular Front of India (PFI) has been involved in continuous offences of money laundering over the years, the Enforcement Directorate Friday told a Delhi Court which remanded three arrested office bearers of the banned outfit to 14 days of judicial custody.

    The agency also said that its investigation had revealed that the accused persons played an “active role” in raising or receiving “bogus cash donations on behalf of PFI.”  The agency arrested the three accused, Perwez Ahmad, President of PFI Delhi, Mohd.

    Ilias, general secretary of the Delhi unit, and its office secretary Abdul Muqeet on September 22 for their alleged role in the offence of money laundering in the guise of cash donations.

    Additional Sessions Judge Shailender Malik remanded the three accused to 14 days of judicial custody after they were produced before him on completion of their seven days of custodial interrogation.

    The ED in its remand application said “Prevention of money laundering Act (PMLA) investigation has revealed that as part of a criminal conspiracy hatched by PFI office bearers over the past many years, suspicious funds from within the country and abroad have been raised by PFI and related entities,” It also said that the funds were “clandestinely remitted” to India and deposited in their bank accounts.

    Elaborating further, the agency said that the funds were layered, placed, and integrated through the numerous bank accounts of the organisation as well as other PFI members or sympathisers.

    “Thus, PFI and its related entities have been involved in the continuous offence of money laundering over the years,”ED said.

    “Investigation qua the accused persons has revealed that they have played an active role in (raising or receiving ) bogus cash donations on behalf of PFI,” ED added.

    The accused also claimed and projected PFI’s unaccounted cash, received through unknown and suspicious sources, as legitimate, it said.

    As the investigation in the case was continuing and required the gathering of additional information along with the examination of voluminous data from digital devices, the court could grant judicial custody of the accused, the remand application said.

    Further, judicial custody was also required to ensure that the accused did not influence witnesses or tamper with evidence, the application said. Earlier, on September 24 the court had allowed the ED seven days’ custody of the three accused.

  • Jharkhand CM’s aide controls illegal mining in assembly constituency, claims ED

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Pankaj Mishra, arrested by the ED in a money laundering case, enjoys “political clout” as he is the political representative of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren and “controls” illegal mining business in Soren’s assembly constituency through his accomplices, the central agency claimed on Wednesday.

    This was stated in a statement by the Enforcement Directorate, which filed a charge sheet against Mishra and his two aides and local musclemen – Bachhu Yadav and Prem Prakash – on September 16 before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in the state capital, Ranchi.

    The statement said the court took cognisance of the charge sheet or prosecution complaint on September 20.

    Soren is an MLA from Barhait assembly seat in Sahibganj district.

    “PMLA Investigation revealed that Pankaj Mishra, who enjoys political clout, being the representative of the Chief Minister, MLA from Barhait, Sahibganj, Jharkhand controls the illegal mining businesses as well as inland ferry services in Sahibganj and its adjoining areas through his accomplices,” the ED alleged.

    “He exercises considerable control over the mining of stone chips and boulders as well as installation and operations of several crushers, set up across various mining sites in Sahibganj,” the statement claimed.

    It said proceeds of crime amounting to about Rs 42 crore, “acquired” by the accused Pankaj Mishra have been identified.

    Pankaj Mishra, Bachhu Yadav and Prem Prakash were arrested by the ED earlier and they are in judicial custody at present.

    The agency said it has “identified” proceeds of crimes, relating to illegal mining in the state, to the tune of more than Rs 1,000 crore till now.

    It said 47 search operations have been conducted in this case where Rs 5.34 crore in cash has been seized, bank balances worth Rs 13.32 crore have been frozen, an inland water vessel worth Rs 30 crore has been seized apart from five stone crushers, two trucks and two AK 47 assault rifles (these weapons were later claimed by Jharkhand police as its own).

    The ED probe began after the agency raided Mishra and his alleged associates on July 8, covering 19 locations in Sahibganj, Barhait, Rajmahal, Mirza Chauki and Barharwa in Jharkhand in the case linked to alleged instances of illegal mining and extortion.

    The searches were launched after the ED filed a case under the PMLA against Mishra and others in March, alleging that the former “illegally grabbed or amassed huge assets in his favour”.

    It took cognisance of a state police FIR filed against Mishra at Barharwa police station in Sahibganj district and some other police complaints filed in illegal mining trade instances under various sections of the Arms Act, Explosive Substances Act, etc.

    NEW DELHI: Pankaj Mishra, arrested by the ED in a money laundering case, enjoys “political clout” as he is the political representative of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren and “controls” illegal mining business in Soren’s assembly constituency through his accomplices, the central agency claimed on Wednesday.

    This was stated in a statement by the Enforcement Directorate, which filed a charge sheet against Mishra and his two aides and local musclemen – Bachhu Yadav and Prem Prakash – on September 16 before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in the state capital, Ranchi.

    The statement said the court took cognisance of the charge sheet or prosecution complaint on September 20.

    Soren is an MLA from Barhait assembly seat in Sahibganj district.

    “PMLA Investigation revealed that Pankaj Mishra, who enjoys political clout, being the representative of the Chief Minister, MLA from Barhait, Sahibganj, Jharkhand controls the illegal mining businesses as well as inland ferry services in Sahibganj and its adjoining areas through his accomplices,” the ED alleged.

    “He exercises considerable control over the mining of stone chips and boulders as well as installation and operations of several crushers, set up across various mining sites in Sahibganj,” the statement claimed.

    It said proceeds of crime amounting to about Rs 42 crore, “acquired” by the accused Pankaj Mishra have been identified.

    Pankaj Mishra, Bachhu Yadav and Prem Prakash were arrested by the ED earlier and they are in judicial custody at present.

    The agency said it has “identified” proceeds of crimes, relating to illegal mining in the state, to the tune of more than Rs 1,000 crore till now.

    It said 47 search operations have been conducted in this case where Rs 5.34 crore in cash has been seized, bank balances worth Rs 13.32 crore have been frozen, an inland water vessel worth Rs 30 crore has been seized apart from five stone crushers, two trucks and two AK 47 assault rifles (these weapons were later claimed by Jharkhand police as its own).

    The ED probe began after the agency raided Mishra and his alleged associates on July 8, covering 19 locations in Sahibganj, Barhait, Rajmahal, Mirza Chauki and Barharwa in Jharkhand in the case linked to alleged instances of illegal mining and extortion.

    The searches were launched after the ED filed a case under the PMLA against Mishra and others in March, alleging that the former “illegally grabbed or amassed huge assets in his favour”.

    It took cognisance of a state police FIR filed against Mishra at Barharwa police station in Sahibganj district and some other police complaints filed in illegal mining trade instances under various sections of the Arms Act, Explosive Substances Act, etc.