ED attaches assets worth over Rs 4 crore in case against late Mukhtar Ansari

New Delhi, Jul 15 (PTI) Six immovable properties worth Rs 4.18 crore , including a Delhi apartment, of a company "controlled" by former BSP MP Atul Rai and an alleged close aide of late gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari have been attached under the anti-money laundering law, the Enforcement Directorate said Tuesday.

The action is part of an investigation linked to Vikas Construction, a company "controlled" by Ansari. A provisional order has been issued under the Prevention of Money laundering Act (PMLA) to attach the properties which also included three plots in Varanasi and two agricultural lands in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur, the central agency said in a statement.

The assets are owned by Spectrum Infraservices Pvt Ltd, a company owned and controlled by Rai, and Jitender Sapra, an alleged aide of Ansari, it said.

The money laundering case stems from an FIR filed by the UP Police in Mau district (Dakshin Tola police station).

The police complaint said Vikas Construction, a Ghazipur-based company, "encroached" government land in Raini village of Mau and "illegally" constructed a godown on it. Similarly, another godown was built in Ghazipur and leased to the Food Corporation of India (FCI).

This generated "proceeds of crime" as rent was received by the accused entities from the FCI, the ED said.

The total rent received was Rs 15.31 crore. Additional proceeds of Rs 2.25 crore were obtained as a "subsidy" for godown construction from NABARD, Rs 3.10 crore was "illegally appropriated" from former partners of Vikas Construction and Rs 7.05 crore was received by Ansari's brother-in-law Atif Raza as handling and transportation charges from FCI, it alleged.

These transactions collectively constitute proceeds of crime worth Rs 27.72 crore, the ED said.

Vikas Construction was operated "under the influence" of late Mukhtar Ansari, with his close relatives and associates as partners, including Atif Raza, who held a 15 per cent stake in the firm.

The ED described how the alleged proceeds of crime are linked to the attached assets.

Tainted funds of Rs 8.49 crore, generated from Vikas Construction, were deposited in the bank accounts of Aaghaz Project and Engineering Pvt Ltd and Inizio Network Solution Pvt Ltd, ”both companies "owned and controlled" by Ansari and his relatives or aides, the agency said.

These funds were routed through business accounts under the pretext of routine expenses to integrate them into the formal banking system and "disguise" their origin.

Subsequently, the amount was transferred to bank accounts of Kusumvision Infra Private Limited, Spectrum Infraservices, and Kusum Constructions and Telecom Services” owned and controlled by Rai as part of a business transaction arrangement, the ED said.

Additionally, funds of Rs 1 crore were "transferred" to bank accounts of Jitender Sapra and his family members from Vikas Construction, Atif Raza, Aaghaz Project and Engineering, and Inizio Network Solution.

This money was used for buying the immovable properties which now have been attached, according to the agency.

The ED said it has also attached some assets in this case in the past and, hence, the value of total attachment now stands at Rs 6.40 crore.

Ansari (63) died due to cardiac arrest at a hospital in Banda in March, 2024.

He was a five-time MLA from Mau Sadar seat and was behind bars in UP and Punjab since 2005. He had over 60 criminal cases pending against him. He was sentenced in eight cases since September 2022 by different courts in UP and was lodged in the Banda jail. PTI NES KVK KVK