Mehbooba Mufti's mother appears before ED in Srinagar in money laundering case
Srinagar, Aug 18: Gulshan Nazir, mother of former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, on Wednesday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) here and answered questions in a case related to money laundering even as the PDP alleged that the Centre had "talibanised" and "subverted" all institutions.
Accompanied by Mehbooba, who is also president of the People's Democratic Party, Nazir was quizzed by the ED officials for nearly four hours.
Mehbooba was also present during the questioning at the agency's office located in the Civil Lines area here, they said.
After the questioning, she tweeted, "In New India, being summoned by agencies like NIA and ED has become a ritual for whoever disagrees with GOI's divisive agenda and policies. In my mother's case, the chronology is quite clear."
"The last time she received a summon was when the PDP boycotted the Delimitation Commission followed by another summon when I staged a peaceful protest on 5th August criticising the illegal abrogation of Article 370," Mehbooba said.
She took a dig at a certain section of the media and said "Unfortunately agencies like NIA and ED that should be working on serious cases are weaponised to harass and punish political opponents. GOI has Talibanised and subverted all institutions inc Godi media (sic) to the extent where instead of upholding the truth they peddle their lies".
Nazir, the wife of former union home minister and ex-chief minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, had earlier been summoned on three occasions, a move which was termed by the PDP as a political vendetta against the party which has been opposing the abrogation of the special status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
The criminal case filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) is linked to the recovery of at least two diaries by the ED after raids on an alleged associate of Mehbooba.
The diaries contain the details of some purported payments made from the chief minister's discretionary fund in alleged contravention of rules, the officials said.
These funds are alleged to have been diverted during the People's Democratic Party (PDP) rule in the erstwhile state.
A few lakh rupees from these funds are alleged to have been transferred into the accounts of Nazir and some others, and the ED wants to question her about it, the officials said.
Veteran politican and CPM leader M Y Tarigami also tweeted saying "Summoning aged wife of former union home minister by ED is glimpse of coercive tactics employed by central government to kill dissent".
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Bengaluru: Four arrested for housebreaking, threats, extortion; fake PSI among accused
Bengaluru: Vidyaranyapura police have arrested four persons, including a man posing as a Police Sub-Inspector (PSI), for allegedly breaking into a house, threatening the occupants, and extorting money while wearing police uniforms.
The arrested accused have been identified as Mallikarjuna, Pramod, Vinay, and Hrithik.
Police said the accused had hatched a plan to pose as police personnel, conduct fake raids, and extort money from residents by intimidation.
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According to the police, Mallikarjuna had failed the PSI examination twice and later falsely projected himself as a PSI. He allegedly conducted photo shoots in his hometown, Siraguppa, wearing a police uniform, baton, cap, and shoes, claiming to be serving as a PSI in Bengaluru.
On December 7, the four accused allegedly went to the house of Naveen in the Vidyaranyapura limits, threatened him with a stick and an iron rod, and claimed they had information that he was selling ganja. Under the pretext of searching, they allegedly extorted ₹87,000 through bank transfer, ₹53,000 in cash kept in the house, and ₹2,000 from his wallet.
Following Naveen’s complaint, Vidyaranyapura police registered a case and launched an operation, leading to the arrest of all four accused. Police have seized ₹45,000 in cash and the car used to commit the crime.
Further investigation is underway.
