Assam: ED raids ex IAS officer, others in Rs 105-cr SCERT 'fraud' case
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Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
ED seizes funds from 2022 Mangaluru blast accused
New Delhi:The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday said that it has attached funds worth ₹29,176 kept in the bank account of an accused in the ISIS-inspired 2022 Mangaluru cooker bomb blast case. The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday said that it has attached funds worth ₹ 29,176 kept in the bank account of an accused in the 2022 Mangaluru bomb blast case. (HT PHOTO) The blast took place in an auto rickshaw on the outskirts of Mangaluru on November 19, 2022. The man who was allegedly handling the explosives in the three-wheeler, identified as Mohammed Shariq, was injured and named as the main accused in the case. The bomb was supposed to be planted at the Dharmasthala Manjunatha Swamy Temple in Mangaluru. However, it exploded in the auto rickshaw as the timer was set at 09 seconds instead of 90 minutes, the federal probe agency said in a statement. Earlier, the ED had filed a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in November 2022, taking cognisance of a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe in the matter. The agency said in a statement that a 'bank deposit of ₹29,176 kept in the bank account of another accused named Syed Yasin has been provisionally attached under the PMLA through an order issued by the Bengaluru office of the ED on August 5'. A chargesheet filed in the case by the NIA said that the blast was part of a plan of the banned terrorist group ISIS to spread terror, wage war against the Government of India and to threaten the integrity and sovereignty of India. The agency said an online ISIS handler named 'Colonel' had given training over Wickr app/Telegram etc to Shariq alias Premraj and some other accused to prepare an improvised explosive device (IED). 'He (Colonel) also arranged funds through certain mule (illegal) accounts and also through cryptocurrencies, which were encashed by Yasin and Shariq through PoS (point of sale) agents,' the agency said. In some instances, the ED said, the encashed cryptocurrencies were routed through 'fraudulently opened mule accounts in FINO Payments Bank'. 'Funds worth ₹2,86,008 were deposited by different cryptocurrency dealers in the mule accounts and ₹41,680 was collected in cash. The amount was utilised for the purchase of some goods online to assemble the IED and for hiring hideouts in Mysuru and other places and also for conducting reconnaissance at various places in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka,' ED said. The ED said another accused in the case, Maaz Munir, was the person who provided the details of the FINO payments bank mule accounts to Shariq so that he could receive payments sent by the online handler, Colonel.
Hindustan Times
3 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Demolition of New Roshan Talkies: Bizman Abdul Kader remanded to two days' police custody
MUMBAI: A metropolitan magistrate court on Wednesday remanded businessman Abdul Kader Ali Mohammad, arrested for allegedly encroaching upon and demolishing a defunct cinema hall seized by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money-laundering investigation against the late drug trafficker Iqbal Mirchi, to two days' police custody. Mumbai, India - February 6, 2017: Dramatic, Cinematic, Operatic Mumbai Heritage walk at New Roshan Talkies in Mumbai, India, on Monday, February 6, 2017. (Photo by Satyabrata Tripathy/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times) The VP Road police station had sought three days' custody, stating that Kader had illegally claimed ownership of the defunct New Roshan Talkies in Khetwadi, demolished it despite knowing it was a seized property, executed a ₹15-crore sale agreement, accepted ₹99 lakh as token money, and sold scrap material from the site for ₹5 lakh—all without supporting documents. However, the court granted the police Kader's custody till Friday, observing that two days would suffice for them to conduct a preliminary custodial interrogation and verify the transactions and ownership claims. In their remand application, the police said that Kader's custodial interrogation was required to investigate his financial dealings, including the alleged ₹15-crore transaction with a certain Govind Bansal, and to trace the ₹5 lakh received from a certain U Dhani for scrap sold from the demolished site. The police added that both people would need to be summoned and their statements verified. The police also told the court that Kader had not responded to the ED's summons and may destroy evidence or influence others if not kept in custody. They said the accused had carried out the demolition in October 2024 by bringing in labourers without any municipal permission, despite being informed by the ED about the property's attachment. The agency had attached the defunct cinema hall in 2020 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). According to the FIR registered on Tuesday by the VP Road police station based on a complaint by ED deputy director Amitabh Mishra, the cinema hall had been attached as part of assets linked to Mirchi's alleged money laundering operations. The ED had moved to take physical possession of the property in December 2024, only to discover that it had been razed. The ED has stated that Kader was never the rightful owner of the cinema hall, and that the demolition was done 'in collusion with unknown persons' despite his being informed of the attachment. The agency believes Kader unilaterally executed a transfer deed in his name in July 2023 and falsely projected ownership. In court, Kader's advocate Mithilesh Mishra opposed the remand, alleging procedural lapses and unlawful detention. He pointed out that the matter is pending before a special court for cases under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. He also claimed that his client is a 'highly diabetic law-abiding resident of Mumbai' and that the said property has been in his 'possession since 1982'. The ED's broader investigation pertains to Iqbal Mirchi's acquisition of several properties through alleged benami transactions and proxies, including Mukhtar Patka and Iqbal Qureshi. The total value of attached assets in the case stands at ₹978.87 crore. After Mirchi's death in 2013, several properties, including New Roshan Talkies, were allegedly transferred to his wife and sons via gift deeds.
Hindustan Times
4 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Bodies found in car in Noida: Autopsy fails to reveal cause of death
The post-mortem examination of two men found dead inside a parked car in Noida's Sector 62 on Monday afternoon has not confirmed a cause of death, with the autopsy report listing it as 'pending' as of Wednesday, police said. They are suspected to have consumed alcohol and may have been resting in the car when they died, said an officer involved in the investigation. (HT Photos) The deceased were identified as Sachin Sharma, 27, a cab driver, and Laxmi Shankar, 50, both residents of Khora Colony in Ghaziabad. Their bodies were discovered inside Sharma's locked Hyundai Aura CNG car near a liquor store around 12.30pm, following repeated calls from Sharma's wife, who had reportedly tried contacting him more than 80 times since Sunday night. 'No external injuries were found on either body. The viscera and blood samples have been sent for toxicology analysis,' said Amit Kumar, station house officer (SHO) of the Sector 58 police station. He added that the exact cause of death will be confirmed once the toxicology results are received, which could take up to two months. A police officer involved in the investigation, who requested anonymity, said the men had left home with ₹3,000 and were last seen at a nearby liquor store. 'They are suspected to have consumed alcohol and may have been resting in the car when they died,' the officer said. Both keys to the vehicle were reportedly found in the ignition, and the engine was in the 'on' position when the bodies were found. Both the petrol tank and the CNG cylinder were found to be reading empty; officers suspect that the car may have run out of fuel, potentially leading to asphyxiation if toxic fumes accumulated inside.
