ED seizes cash, property documents after raids against Atiq Ahmad's aides
New Delhi (PTI): Documents related to sale and purchase of properties, Rs 17.80 lakh worth cash and some other material were seized after fresh raids this week against some "renowned" builders, CAs and others linked to slain gangster-politician Atiq Ahmad, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said on Saturday.
The searches were carried out on June 14-15 at 10 premises in Prayagraj, Lucknow and Delhi, the agency said in a statement.
Various aides and associates of late Atiq Ahmad including "renowned" builders and chartered accountants were covered during the action which led to the seizure of Rs 17.80 lakh cash, documents related to sale and purchase of properties, financial documents of companies, bank statements, mobile phones and laptops, it said.
Physical and forensic analysis of seized evidences are ongoing, the agency said.
The money laundering case against Ahmad and his aides stems from a CBI FIR filed on the directions of the Supreme Court to probe allegations of kidnapping, extortion and assault against the mafia-turned-politician and his men.
"Atiq Ahmad was a history-sheeter and ran a mafia gang that is involved in various crimes of serious nature from a long time. Around 100 FIRs of crimes related to murder, extortion, land grabbing etc. were lodged against him in various police stations.
"It was found during probe that by indulging in criminal activities since 1989 and by usurping government and other people's land properties, Atiq Ahmad amassed huge property in his name and that of his family members and also in the name of his associates and other benamidars (in whose name a benami property is standing)," the ED said.
The ED had first conducted searches in this case on April 12-13 leading to seizure of Rs 84.68 lakh cash, gold bars worth Rs 60 lakh, gold and diamond jewellery of Rs 2.85 crore, digital devices and various physical documents and records.
Ahmad and his brother Ashraf were shot dead at point-blank range by three men posing as journalists on April 15 when police personnel were escorting them to a medical college in Prayagraj for a checkup.
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CM Siddaramaiah appears before Lokayukta police for questioning in MUDA case
Mysuru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah appeared before the Lokayukta police here on Wednesday in response to the summons issued to him for questioning in the MUDA site allotment case.
The CM, who has been named as accused number 1 in the FIR registered by the Lokayukta police, is facing allegations of illegalities in the allotment of 14 sites to his wife Parvathi B M by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA).
They had on October 25 questioned his wife, who has been named as accused number 2.
Siddaramaiah, his wife, brother-in-law Mallikarjuna Swamy and Devaraju -- from whom Swamy had purchased a land and gifted it to Parvathi -- and others have been named in the FIR registered by the Mysuru-located Lokayukta police establishment on September 27.
Swamy and Devaraju have already deposed before the Lokayukta police.
Meanwhile, the Karnataka High Court had on Tuesday issued notice to Siddaramaiah and others on a writ petition filed by RTI activist Snehamayi Krishna, seeking a direction to transfer the case to CBI.
Justice M Nagaprasanna, who also issued notice to Parvathi, Swamy, Union of India, the State government, CBI, Lokayukta and others, directed the Lokayukta to place on record investigation conducted in the case so far.
The court posted the next hearing to November 26.
On October 24, the CM filed an appeal before the division bench of the High Court, challenging the decision of a single judge bench in connection with the MUDA site allotment case that had come as a setback to him.
The bench of Justice M Nagaprasanna had on September 24 dismissed the CM's petition challenging Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot's approval for a probe against him in the case, observing that the gubernatorial order nowhere "suffers from want of application of mind".
Siddaramaiah had challenged the legality of Gehlot's sanction for the investigation against him in the alleged irregularities in the allotment of 14 sites by MUDA in a prime locality.
Following the High Court order, a Special Court here on the very next day had ordered a Lokayukta police probe against Siddaramaiah, and directed to file the investigation report by December 24.
Parvathi, meanwhile, had written to MUDA to cancel 14 sites allotted to her and the MUDA had accepted it.
On September 30, the ED filed an enforcement case information report (ECIR) to book the CM and others taking cognisance of the Lokayukta FIR, and is also probing the case.
In the MUDA site allotment case, it is alleged that 14 compensatory sites were allotted to Siddaramaiah's wife in an upmarket area in Mysuru (Vijayanagar Layout 3rd and 4th stages), which had higher property value as compared to the location of her land which had been "acquired" by MUDA.
The MUDA had allotted plots to Parvathi under a 50:50 ratio scheme in lieu of 3.16 acres of her land, where it developed a residential layout.
Under the controversial scheme, MUDA allotted 50 per cent of developed land to the land losers in lieu of undeveloped land acquired from them for forming residential layouts.
It is alleged Parvathi had no legal title over this 3.16 acres of land at survey number 464 of Kasare village on the outskirts of Mysuru.
