ED uncovers massive money laundering scheme of gangster Atiq Ahmad
New Delhi, April 13: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has seized Rs 75 lakhs of Indian and foreign currency, documents pertaining to nearly 200 bank accounts and 50 shell entities from the premises of jailed gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad and his associates during a massive raid conducted at 15 locations in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj on Wednesday.
The documents seized were used for the laundering of ill-gotten money generated out of extortion, land grabbing and other criminal activities.
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The ED also found documents of over 100 properties in the name of Atiq Ahmad's close associates and firms. These are suspected to be Atiq's benami properties. Cash transactions worth more than 50 crores have also been unearthed in the searches. Documents of properties (forcibly) purchased from farmers apparently through criminal intimidation were also found.
The raid was part of the ED's ongoing money laundering investigation against Atiq and those linked to him. It was conducted at a time when Ahmad is being brought to Prayagraj from the Sabarmati Jail in Gujarat for his production in a local court in connection with the Umesh Pal murder case.
In 2021, the ED had attached immovable and movable assets, consisting of land and money in several bank accounts worth Rs 8.14 crore, belonging to Atiq Ahmad and his wife in connection with the money laundering case. These included a land property situated at mauza Katka, Paragana Jhunsi, Tehsil Phulpur, in the name of Shaista Parveen, wife of Ahmad. This was acquired by Ahmad for only Rs 4.5 crore which is far below the government's value of Rs 6.86 crore. The ED also attached a bank account balance of Rs 1.28 crore lying in 10 bank accounts of Ahmad and one account of Shaista Parveen.
The ED initiated an investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after taking cognizance of several FIRs lodged against Ahmad in different police stations, related to murder, extortion, cheating, forgery, land grabbing and crimes of similar nature.
After its investigation under PMLA, the ED said that Ahmad through criminal activities used to earn black money in cash and the same was deposited in several bank accounts of the gangster, his kin and close associates. The ED has said that it had gathered data from the IT department and other agencies related to the companies being run by Ahmad's aides.
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- ANI
