Jailed Mukhtar Ansari slapped with another money laundering case by ED in Uttar Pradesh

On Thursday, July 1, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) lodged a case against Mukhtar Ansari under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002. The gangster-turned MLA is already lodged in jail for prior cases. The current case is related to the FIR filed against Ansari with the Daskin Tola Police in Mau on July 9, 2020. 

PC Srivatsava, the then Tehsildar, in the FIR had alleged that a government land in Raina village was occupied by Mukhtar and his associate who for seven years, gave it to a private company for a rent of Rs 1.7 crore per year.

According to the sources the agency now needs to check and verify the documents and payment transactions made between the tenants and Mansuri and his associates. 

Mukhtar Ansari's cases

According to the police, as of April 12, around 52 cases are registered against Ansari in Uttar Pradesh and other states. He has about 38 cases against him alone in Mohammadabad police station of Ghazipur district for committing grievous crimes including the murder case of BJP MLA Krishna Nand Rai in 2005. 

After Homeland Group CEO accused Ansari of extortion in 2019, he was shifted to Punjab's Ropar jail on a government warrant. Since then the Punjab prison department refused to send him back for court appearances to Uttar Pradesh claiming that a panel of doctors has “advised Ansari against long travel”.

Earlier in February, in the Supreme Court, the UP government accused the Punjab government, alleging that the latter (Punjab) was colluding with Ansari who is wanted in UP in connection with various criminal cases. 

On June 28, Ansari requested the Barabanki court to set up a television in his prison's barrack. He made this plea when he appeared for the extension of his judicial custody in a forgery case before Barabanki Chief Judicial Magistrate Rakesh through video conference. 

On June 30, Salim, the ambulance driver of BSP leader Mukhtar Ansari was arrested from the Jankipuram area by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF). He is believed to be a help in facilitating information related to Ansari's cases. During the interrogation, Salim had admitted his closeness to Mukhtar and being a part of Ansari's gang for nearly 20 years.

(Image credit: PTI/REPRESENTATIVEIMAGE)