PRAYAGRAJ: The Prayagraj sessions court on Wednesday sent mafia-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari to 10 days’ custody remand of Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case of 2021.
Mukhtar was produced before the sessions court with a request from ED to grant 10 days' custody remand so that important clues could be collected from him regarding the money laundering case.
Subsequently, Mukhtar was taken into custody by the agency under various sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
According to district government counsel (criminal), Gulab Chandra Agrahri, Mukhtar was involved in purchase of a land at Ghazipur, where he later got a firm established. In addition to it, he is being inquired by the ED in matters regarding his involvement in cases, including a money laundering case in which his son Abbas Ansari is an accused. At present, the ED is carrying out a probe into the money laundering case lodged against Mukhtar in 2021.
Earlier, at one stage, the ED officials had arrested Mukhtar’s MLA son Abbas Ansari and brother-in-law Atif Raza in connection with the case after receiving information about cash transactions worth several crores of rupees to different bank accounts along with information regarding firms of Mukhtar and his relatives.
The sessions court said that medical examination of Mukhtar must be conducted both when ED will take his custody and when its custody will end on December 23.
Mukhtar’s wife Afshan Ansari is also wanted by the ED in the money laundering case and the central agency has issued a lookout notice against her.
The court also allowed lawyers of Mukhtar to contact him during the remand period on condition that they will not interfere in ED proceedings.
