The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached immovable and movable assets consisting of land and balances in bank accounts worth Rs 8.14 crore belonging to former legislator-cum-mafia Atiq Ahmad and his wife under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act in a money laundering case.
The ED had initiated money laundering investigation on the basis of several FIRs filed at various police stations under the Sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC) against Ahmad and others for the criminal offences related to murder, extortion, cheating, forgery, land grabbing and other such crimes, the ED said in a statement.
“The PMLA probe revealed that Ahmad, through the criminal activities, earned dirty money in cash and deposited it in his and his relatives’ bank accounts. It has also been noticed by ED that funds are being credited in their accounts from various firms and companies being run by his aides,” it said.
It has further been revealed during investigation that these funds have been also utilized for acquisition of land property in the name of his wife at the consideration price far below the government value.
The ED has gathered data related to the companies run by Ahmad’s aides, from the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), Income Tax (IT) Department and other agencies.
Statements of accused persons are being recorded and inquiry is being conducted to ascertain the source of funds invested in these companies. Money trail of proceeds of crime is also being established, it said.
In the present provisional attachment, land property situated at Arazi No. 386 and 387, Mauza-Katka, Paragana-Jhunsi, Tehsil-Phulpur, Allahabad in the name of Shaista Parveen, wife of Ahmad has been attached.
This property was acquired by Ahmad for a consideration of just Rs 4.5 crore, which is far below the government value of Rs 6.86 crore.
In addition to this, the ED has also attached a bank account balance of Rs 1.28 crore lying in 10 bank accounts of Ahmad and one bank account of his wife Shaista Parveen.
This is the first attachment by ED in this case. Further investigation is under progress and more assets of Atiq Ahmad and his aides are likely to be attached in due course, it added.