ED files chargesheet against former SP MLA, wife in money laundering case

New Delhi, Feb 24 (PTI) The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday said it has filed a chargesheet against Arif Anwar Hashmi, a former Samajwadi Party MLA from Uttar Pradesh, and his wife in a money laundering case linked to alleged illegal encroachment and cheating.

The prosecution complaint, an ED equivalent of a chargesheet, was filed on Monday before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Lucknow, the agency said in a statement.

Hashmi, a two-time Samajwadi Party legislator from the Utraula assembly seat in Balrampur district between 2007 and 2017, and his wife Rozi Salma, have been named as accused, it said.

The ED case stems from multiple FIRs and chargesheets filed by the Uttar Pradesh Police against Hashmi and his associates on charges of illegal encroachment, forgery, cheating, and criminal conspiracy.

According to the federal probe agency, large "unaccounted" cash deposits in the bank accounts of Hashmi and his wife have been noticed, which were "grossly inconsistent" with their reported sources of income.

The couple were "unable" to justify the source of the cash deposits, including the funds used to purchase immovable properties. The accused generated proceeds of crime worth Rs 8.24 crore, it claimed.

The ED attached agricultural lands, flats and plots worth over Rs 8 crore in Balrampur, Lucknow and Gonda districts in 2024 as part of this investigation. PTI NES NSD NSD