The Enforcement Directorate (ED) seized Rs 75 lakhs in Indian and foreign currency, as well as documents pertaining to nearly 200 bank accounts and 50 shell entities, from the jailed gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad and his associates’ premises.
The seizure came after an ED sleuth raid on 15 locations in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj on Wednesday. The documents seized during these raids related to nearly 200 bank accounts and 50 shell entities, according to the ED, were used for laundering ill-gotten money generated through extortion, land grabbing, and other criminal activities.
“Documents of over 100 properties in the name of Atiq Ahmad’s close associates and firms have also been found. These properties are suspected to be Atiq’s benami properties,” said the federal agency.
“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 have also been found.”
The agency on Wednesday searched the premises of Atiq and his relative Khalid Zafar, his advocate-cum-accomplice Saulat Hanif Khan, his associates Asad, Vadood Ahmad, Kali, Mohsin, chartered accountant Sabeeh Ahmad, chartered accountant Asif Jafri, Seetaram Shukla (accountant), real estate developers Sanjeev Aggarwal and Deepak Bhargav.
The raids were part of the ED’s ongoing money laundering investigation into Atiq and those associated with him.
The raids occurred while Ahmad was being transported to Prayagraj from the Sabarmati Jail in Gujarat for his appearance in a local court in connection with the Umesh Pal murder case.
The case in which Ahmad is on trial is linked to the February 24 murder of Pal and his two police security guards outside his home in Prayagraj’s Dhoomanganj area.
Following a complaint filed by Pal’s wife, Uttar Pradesh Police filed a First Information Report (FIR) on February 25 against Ahmad, his brother Ashraf, his wife Shaista Parveen, two sons, aides Guddu Muslim and Ghulam, and nine others.
In connection with the money laundering case, the ED attached immovable and movable assets, including land and money in several bank accounts totaling Rs 8.14 crore, belonging to mafia-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad and his wife in 2021.
