ED accuses Zakir Hussain Trust officials of Money laundering, attaches 15 properties

New Delhi [India], March 4 (ANI): The Enforcement Directorate (ED) in its investigation has claimed that it has attached 15 immovable properties of officials of the Dr Zakir Husain Memorial Trust of allegedly laundering Rs 71.50 lakh in central government funds.

"ED investigation revealed that grant-in-aid of Rs. 71.5 lakh received by the Trust was not utilized for holding camps sanctioned by Govt. of India but it was laundered by Pratyush Shukla, Representative of the Trust, Mohammad Athar, Secretary to the Trust, Smt. Louise Khurshid, Project Director of the Trust for the interest of the Trust and their personal gain. In this way, the fund received as grant-in-aid was laundered for their personal gain and generated Proceeds of Crime,"the ED said in a statement on Monday.

The agency shared the inputs after it attached immovable assets valued at Rs 29.51 lakh situated in Farukhabad in Uttar Pradesh in the form of agricultural land belonging to the Dr Zakir Husain Memorial Trust under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

Besides, the federal agency attached four bank accounts amounting to Rs 16.41 lakh to the trust.

ED's Zonal Office in Uttar Pradesh's capital, Lucknow, took action following its ongoing investigation in the case initiated on the basis of 17 First Information Reports registered by the Economic Offences Wing of the State Police under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, against Pratyush Shukla, representative of the Dr. Zakir Hussain Memorial Trust and others.

A chargesheet has been filed by the Uttar Pradesh Police in all 17 cases against Athar Farooqui, alias Mohd Athar Ahmed, the Secretary of the Dr Zakir Hussain Memorial Trust and Louis Khurshid, wife of Salman Khurshid, the Project Director of the Dr Zakir Hussain Memorial Trust. (ANI)