Latest news with #Jaffer
Hindustan Times
27-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
ED nabs man for smuggling red sanders worth ₹68 crore to Dubai
MUMBAI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Abdul Jaffer, the alleged mastermind of an inter-state syndicate involved in large-scale smuggling of red sanders wood to overseas markets. Jaffer, who had been absconding for four years while evading multiple ED summons, was apprehended from Chennai during search operations conducted by the agency's Nagpur unit as part of a money-laundering investigation. According to ED officials, Jaffer is accused of illegally exporting 13 consignments of Red Sanders wood—valued at approximately ₹68 crore in grey markets—to Dubai over the past few years. The smuggling operation reportedly involved misdeclaring the cargo to Customs authorities. In one instance, sponge iron declared for export by a Raipur-based company was allegedly swapped with Red Sanders logs using Jaffer's network and influence. Red sanders, or red sandalwood, is a protected species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Its export is prohibited under the Customs Act, 1962, and restricted under India's Foreign Trade Policy. The rare wood is prized internationally for its use in high-end furniture, traditional medicine, and cosmetics. ED officials said Jaffer's syndicate operated by concealing Red Sanders inside containers of legitimate goods being exported by reputed firms, thereby evading detection. 'He is suspected to be a habitual offender, with his name cropping up in several past smuggling cases investigated by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI),' an ED source said. Thursday's search operations in Chennai also led to the seizure of incriminating documents and evidence suggesting that proceeds from the smuggling were laundered to acquire land, flats, commercial properties, and luxury vehicles worth several crores. The ED's probe stems from an earlier case registered by DRI's Nagpur unit, which had filed a chargesheet against Jaffer under Section 135 of the Customs Act for evasion and illicit export of prohibited goods. Following his arrest, Jaffer was brought to Nagpur and produced before a special court on Saturday, which remanded him to ED custody till Wednesday. In a parallel case, DRI's Mumbai unit last year seized six tonnes of Red Sanders at Nhava Sheva port. The consignment, also destined for illegal export, had been concealed beneath cargo declared as granite marble slabs and cement bricks—pointing to a recurring modus operandi. Officials said the latest arrest marks a significant breakthrough in curbing the illegal trade of Red Sanders, which has emerged as a lucrative black-market commodity with strong international demand despite stringent regulations.
India Today
27-05-2025
- India Today
ED arrests red sanders smuggler in Chennai, he was on the run for 4 years
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested a wanted red sanders smuggler following search operations at premises linked to him in Chennai. The accused, Abdul Jaffer, had failed to appear before the probe agency despite repeated Nagpur sub-zonal office of ED conducted raids at two premises linked to Jaffer in Chennai on May 22. Jaffer is involved in the large-scale smuggling of red sanders to Dubai by way of replacing the declared goods being exported by reputed entities with red sanders in transit through his clout of operations unravelled several properties in the form of land, buildings, flats and high-end vehicles acquired by the accused out of proceeds of crime which runs into crores of rupees, including other incriminating materials. Jaffer, who was on the run for four years, did not appear before the ED despite repeated summonses, which constituted a deliberate disregard of judicial proceedings. He was brought to Nagpur from Chennai under transit remand and was produced before a court on May 28. The court then sent him to ED custody till May ED initiated an investigation on the basis of a prosecution complaint filed by DRI, Nagpur under Section 135 of the Customs Act, 1962 against Jaffer and investigation revealed that Jaffer had smuggled 13 consignments of red sanders to Dubai by way of replacing the declared goods. The value of the total smuggled red sanders has been calculated to be approximately Rs 68 crore, which excludes one consignment intercepted and seized by the DRI, when it was being attempted to be investigation also disclosed that Jaffer's name figured in several other smuggling cases of red sanders, which were being investigated by other units of InMust Watch IN THIS STORY#Chennai#Nagpur
Indian Express
26-05-2025
- Indian Express
ED arrests red sanders smuggler Abdul Jaffer from Chennai
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Abdul Jaffer, a key accused in a Red Sanders smuggling racket, during search operations conducted at two premises in Chennai on May 22. Jaffer, who was allegedly on the run for four years despite repeated summons, was traced and taken into custody, the ED SAID on Monday. According to ED officials, Jaffer is suspected to be the central figure in a smuggling syndicate that illegally exported red sanders (a protected wood species whose export is prohibited under India's Foreign Trade Policy) to Dubai. The method involved replacing the declared export items, such as sponge iron, with red sanders during transit. The sponge iron consignments were officially being exported by a Raipur-based entity. Jaffer was brought to Nagpur by the ED's Nagpur sub-zonal office on a transit remand, issued by a Chennai court, and produced before a special court in Nagpur dealing with money-laundering cases on May 24. The court has granted ED custody of the accused till May 28. The investigation was initiated following a prosecution complaint filed by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Nagpur, under Section 135 of the Customs Act, 1962. ED's findings suggest that Jaffer was involved in at least 13 such consignments, with the total value of smuggled red sanders estimated to be around Rs 68 crore, which excludes one consignment intercepted and seized by DRI when it was being attempted to be smuggled. The ED said Jaffer's name had also come up in other red sanders smuggling cases investigated by various DRI units, indicating he may be a habitual offender. During the Chennai raids, the ED seized several properties allegedly acquired using proceeds of the smuggling operation. These include land parcels, buildings, flats, luxury vehicles, and documents described as incriminating. The anti-money laundering agency is now trying to obtain details about Jaffer's syndicate members, his associates, and more about his nexus with government and non-government individuals, said sources in the ED.
Hans India
26-05-2025
- Hans India
Chennai raid: ED nabs smuggler for shipping sandalwood to Dubai
In a crackdown against smuggling of Red Sanders to Dubai, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested a smuggler from Chennai after searching two premises in connection with illegal shipping of the banned wood worth Rs 68 crore, an official said on Monday. Abdul Jaffer, on the run for the past four years and not appearing in court despite summons in deliberate disregard of the judicial proceedings, was arrested by ED's Nagpur Sub-Zonal Office, the official said. The search operations were carried out in Chennai on May 22 to unearth illegal activities of a syndicate involved in large-scale smuggling of Red Sanders to Dubai by way of replacing the declared sponge iron in containers with Red Sanders. The search operations unravelled several properties in the form of land, buildings, flats and high-end vehicles acquired by the accused out of the proceeds of crime, which runs into crores of rupees, including other incriminating materials, said the official. After his arrest, Jaffer was brought to Nagpur by ED investigators under a Transit Remand issued by the Jurisdiction Court at Chennai. In Nagpur on Saturday, he was produced before the Special Court (PMLA), which sent him to ED custody till May 28, said a statement. The ED initiated an investigation based on a Prosecution Complaint filed by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Nagpur, under Section 135 of the Customs Act, 1962, against Jaffer and others. The ED said investigation revealed that Jaffer had smuggled out as many as 13 consignments of Red Sanders to Dubai by replacing sponge iron, which was being exported by a Raipur-based entity. The value of total smuggled Red Sanders is Rs 68 crore, excluding a consignment intercepted and seized by the DRI, the official said. The ED said Jaffer's name had figured in several other smuggling cases of Red Sanders, which were investigated by other units of DRI.
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First Post
21-05-2025
- Politics
- First Post
Landmark verdict in Pakistan: Death penalty upheld in gruesome murder of diplomat's daughter
A three-member bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, headed by Justice Hashim Kakar, delivered the landmark ruling in a case that has again exposed deep-seated issues of gender violence in the country read more Pakistan's top court on Tuesday (May 20) upheld the death penalty of Zahir Jaffer, a Pakistani-American and son of a wealthy industrialist. Jaffer is convicted of the 2021 gruesome murder of Noor Mukadam, the 27-year-old daughter of a former Pakistani envoy. A three-member bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan , headed by Justice Hashim Kakar, delivered the landmark ruling in a case that has again laid bare deep-seated issues of gender violence and privilege in the South Asian nation. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD More about the case The high-profile case came to light in July 2021 when Noor Mukadam's body was found at Jaffer's residence in Islamabad's upscale Sector F-7/4. The body had signs of extreme torture, rape, beheading and brutal killing. At the scene, Jaffer was found covered in blood. Initial investigation revealed that Jaffer had held Noor hostage for two days after she turned down his marriage proposal. Jaffer allegedly tortured her with knuckleduster, raped and also decapitated her. The horrific case triggered a nationwide outrage. It also attracted expansive media coverage because both the victim and the perpetrator belonged to Pakistan's elite class. The case also reignited the debate over violence against women and the access to justice and fair trials. The Supreme Court in Tuesday ruling dismissed Jaffer's plea against the death penalty earlier imposed by a lower court. Jaffer's lawyers argued that their client was not given a fair trial because of media's pressure. They also claimed 'erroneous appreciation' of evidence in the case. The court meanwhile upheld Jaffer's death sentence for murder but converted another death sentence for rape case to life imprisonment, citing legal deliberations. Shaukat Mukadam, Noor's father, welcome the ruling, saying, 'This is not just my daughter's case; it is a case for all the daughters of Pakistan'. What do critics say? Critics say the case got a lot of attention because the victim was from a wealthy, influential family. Women's rights activist Tahira Abdullah pointed out that the murder of Mukadam received much more focus than similar cases involving less privileged women, which often get little attention or quick justice. Pakistan ranks very low, 153 out of 156 countries, in gender equality, according to the World Economic Forum's 2021 report. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Domestic violence is also a big problem, with 28 per cent of women aged 15-49 saying they've faced physical violence, as reported by the Ministry of Human Rights.
