ED takes custody of don-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari

New Delhi, Dec 14: The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday took custody remand of mafioso-turned politician Mukhtar Ansari in connection with a money laundering case.

The case was filed against him last year and a court had issued a warrant against Mukhtar Ansari who is lodged in the Banda jail in connection with the money laundering case.

On Wednesday the 59 year old Ansari was produced before the court on the basis of a production warrant and was subsequently taken into custody by the ED under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The ED is probing a money laundering case against Ansari since 2021. The agency had earlier recorded Ansari's statement in the Banda jail.

Earlier the ED had arrested Ansari's son, Abbas Ansari and brother-in-law Atif Raza in connection with the same case. The ED had received information about cash transactions worth several crores of Rupees that were made to different bank accounts.

Ansari's wife Afshan is also wanted in the case and the ED has issued a lookout notice against her.

Ansari has been under the scanner of the agencies in at least 49 criminal cases which include land grabbing, murder and extortion. He also faces a trial in Uttar Pradesh in connection with several cases that include attempt to murder and murder.

Ansari and 12 others were also booked under the Gangster Act for allegedly using an ambulance to travel from jail to a Punjab court.

Apart from Ansari, 12 others belonging to Mau, Ghazipur, Lucknow and Prayagraj districts have also been named in the case, police said, adding that the accused have already been sent to jail.

Superintendent of Police Anurag Vats said that the District Magistrate gave the approval and the second case against Ansari was registered on Sunday under the Gangsters Act at the Nagar Kotwali.

While being lodged in a Punjab jail, Ansari was found using a private ambulance to travel to court. This ambulance was registered in Barabanki's Regional Transport Office (RTO) office on March 21, 2013, officials said.

On March 31, 2021, when the matter came to light, the Kotwali Nagar police lodged a case of forgery against Dr Alka Rai, the manager of Mau's Shyam Sanjeevani Hospital.
During the investigation, they found out that the ambulance was registered under a false address, news agency PTI reported.

Vats said the police lodged the first case of forgery on April 2, 2021 in the ambulance case and after about three months, filed a charge sheet against all the accused in the court on July 4, 2021.