Rana Ayyub used money collected for charity for her own use

New Delhi, Oct 14: In its chargesheet against journalist Rana Ayyub, the Enforcement Directorate has accused her of fraudulently collecting Rs 2.7 crore from public to help slum dwellers, farmers and for relief work in Assam, Maharashtra and Bihar.

The ED said that she laundered the money instead of using it for charity work. She created personal assets and Rs 50 lakh in fixed deposits, the agency said.

In the chargesheet filed before a special court in Ghaziabad, the ED said, investigation revealed that Rana Ayyub launched three fundraiser campaigns on 'Ketto platform' starting from April 2020, and collected Rs 2.69 crore to help slum dwellers and farmers; for relief work in Assam, Bihar and Maharashtra and for those impacted by COVID-19.

Further the agency said that funds raised on the online platforms were received in the accounts of her father and sister. They were subsequently transferred to to her personal accounts.

Ayyub utilised these funds to create a fixed deposit of Rs 50 lakh for herself and also transferred Rs 50 lakh in a new bank account. Investigation revealed that only Rs 29 lakh was used for relief work," the agency said.

The ED had in February attached Rs 1.7 crore in bank balances and FDs belonging to Ayyub. The ED has also accused her of illegally receiving contributions from foreign countries without any approval of the government under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act.