ED books Tahir Hussain & PFI on money laundering charges for allegedly funding Delhi riots

In the latest development, the Enforcement Directorate has booked suspended Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor Tahir Hussain, and Islamist group PFI and some others on charges of money laundering and alleged funding of the recent riots in Delhi, officials said on Wednesday. Similar charges have also been pressed against the Popular Front of India (PFI) which is already facing a separate PMLA probe.

Hussain is on a seven-day police remand in connection with the northeast Delhi violence which erupted after clashes between pro and anti-CAA groups on February 23 and continued for three days.

This development comes two days after the Delhi Police detained a PFI member under the ISIS module probe. ED said that a criminal case against Hussain, facing charges of killing an Intelligence Bureau official during the riots in northeast Delhi last month, has been filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) by the central probe agency.

The officials said the federal agency has taken cognisance of a clutch of FIRs filed by Delhi Police's Crime Branch to probe the alleged money laundering and routing of illegal funds by Hussain, PFI and others to purportedly sponsor the communal riots that killed over 50 people.

READ: Open rebellion? Jairam Ramesh demands Congress fight PFI communalism, 'just like RSS'

Two ISIS terror suspects detained

The security agencies on Sunday have detained two Islamic State Of Khurasan Province (Indian branch of ISIS) terror suspects - Jahanzaib Sami and wife Hinda Bashir Beg from New Delhi's Okhla, as per sources. Jihadi materials have allegedly been recovered from the ISKP cadres. Sources state that suspects were allegedly urging minorities to unite against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

Moreover, sources reported that Sami and his wife were in touch with senior ISKP members in Afghanistan. They were allegedly trying to exploit the ongoing agitation against CAA to incite Muslim youth to carry out terror strikes.

READ: Arrested PFI member is organisation's Chief of Counter Intelligence

READ: Delhi police detains PFI member under ISIS module probe, suspected links to Delhi riots

READ: Swamy backs Ramesh's call for Congress to oppose PFI, ponders 'What if 10 Janpath calls?'