India
oi-Madhuri Adnal
New
Delhi,
Aug
18:
The
Enforcement
Directorate
(ED)
on
Thursday
conducted
raids
at
multiple
locations
in
Uttar
Pradesh
and
Delhi
as
part
of
a
money
laundering
investigation
against
mafia-turned-politician
Mukhtar
Ansari,
official
sources
said.
The
searches
are
being
conducted
at
premises
located
in
Ghazipur,
Lucknow
and
Delhi
which
are
linked
to
Ansari
and
his
alleged
associates,
they
said.
The
action
is
aimed
to
gather
evidence
with
regard
to
an
ongoing
investigation
against
Ansari
under
the
criminal
sections
of
the
Prevention
of
Money
Laundering
Act
(PMLA),
the
sources
said.
Ansari,
a
five-time
former
MLA,
is
currently
lodged
in
jail
at
Banda
in
Uttar
Pradesh.
With
Supreme
Court’s
stand
on
ED,
corrupt
politicians
now
a
bundle
of
nerves
He
is
under
the
ED
scanner
in
connection
with
at
least
49
criminal
cases
booked
against
him
including
those
on
charges
of
land
grabbing,
murder
and
extortion.
He
faces
trial
in
Uttar
Pradesh
in
several
cases,
including
attempt
to
murder
and
murder.
The
Ghazipur
district
administration
last
week
had
seized
two
plots
of
land,
measuring
1.901
hectares
and
valued
at
over
Rs
6
crore,
that
were
purchased
using
alleged
illegal
earnings
of
Ansari,
according
to
police.
Story first published: Thursday, August 18, 2022, 13:17 [IST]