ED Seizes Rs 75 Lakh Cash and 50 Shell Companies of Gangster Atiq Ahmed

GG News Bureau

New Delhi, 13th April. 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 Ahmed 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 Ahmed’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 raided the properties of Atiq and his relative Khalid Zafar, his advocate-cum-accomplice Saulat Hanif Khan, his associates Asad, Vadood Ahmed, Kali, Mohsin, chartered accountant Sabeeh Ahmed, chartered accountant Asif Jafri, Seetaram Shukla (accountant), real estate developers Sanjeev Aggarwal and Deepak Bhargav on Wednesday.

The raids were part of the ED’s ongoing money laundering investigation into Atiq and those associated with him.

The raids were conducted at a time when Ahmed was 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.

The case in which Ahmed is on trial is linked to the February 24 murder of Mr Pal and his two police security guards outside his home in Prayagraj’s Dhoomanganj area.

Following a complaint filed by Mr Pal’s wife, Uttar Pradesh Police filed a First Information Report (FIR) on February 25 against Ahmed, his brother Ashraf, his wife Shaista Parveen, two sons, aides Guddu Muslim and Ghulam, and nine others.

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 mafia-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his wife in connection with the money laundering case.

Land property situated at mauza Katka, Paragana Jhunsi, Tehsil Phulpur, in name of Shaista Parveen, wife of Ahmed was attached. This was acquired by Ahmed for only Rs 4.5 crore which is far below the government’s value of Rs 6.86 crore. In addition, the ED had also attached a bank account balance of Rs 1.28 crore lying in 10 bank accounts of Ahmed 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 Ahmed 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 Ahmed through criminal activities used to earn black money in cash and the same was deposited in several bank accounts of the gangster, his family and close associates.

It has been noticed by the ED that these funds are being credited to their accounts from various firms and companies of his aides, the ED had said earlier, adding “These funds have been further utilized for buying land in the name of his wife at the consideration price far below the government’s value”.

The ED has said that it had gathered data from the IT department and other agencies related to the companies being run by Ahmed’s aides.