ED has filed Prosecution Complaint against Popular Front of India (PFI) and three of its office-bearers

  New Delhi. Asal Baat News.  ED has filed Prosecution Complaint against Popular Front of India (PFI) and three of its office-bearers namely...

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 New Delhi.

Asal Baat News. 

ED has filed Prosecution Complaint against Popular Front of India (PFI) and three of its office-bearers namely Perwez Ahmad, Mohammad Ilias and Abdul Muqueet. The Special Court (PMLA), Patiala House, New Delhi has taken cognizance of the prosecution complaint.The Special Court (PMLA), Patiala House, New Delhi has taken cognizance of the offence of money laundering against the Popular Front of India (PFI) and three of its office-bearers. 

In Prosecution Complaint ED says, Ahmad, President of Delhi Unit of PFI, supervised the fund raising activities of PFI andmanaged PFI’s public relations. Md. Ilias, General Secretary of Delhi PFI, was active in mobilization of funds for PFI & related organizations in the Delhi-NCR region. Md. Ilias also contested Delhi Assembly elections of 2020 from Karawal Nagar as an Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) candidate. Both Perwez Ahmad and Md. Ilias were arrested by Delhi Police in relation with North East Delhi riots of February 2020. Abdul Muqeet, Office Secretary of Delhi PFI, was also actively involved in the fund raising activities of PFI and in the preparation of bogus cash donation slips. 

Searches were conducted by ED at the premises of the aforesaid accused persons on 22.09.2022 and incriminating documents as well as digital devices were seized. For their involvement in the offence of money laundering, the said accused persons were placed under arrest on 22.09.2022 and are presently in judicial custody at Tihar Jail, New Delhi. On 19.11.2022, the Enforcement Directorate filed Prosecution Complaint against the accused.

ED initiated PMLA investigation against PFI, its office bearers and related entities on the basis of an FIR registered by NIA, Delhi in which various provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 were invoked.

PMLA investigation revealed that PFI generated proceeds of crime, both in India and abroad, by way of criminal conspiracy (Section 120B of IPC), in active collusion with its associated individuals & entities as a part of a larger conspiracy to raise fund for its unlawful and anti-national activities, prejudicial to the unity, integrity and security of the state. Proceeds of crime mobilized and remitted in the form of cash have been deposited in PFI’s bank accounts by falsely projecting them as cash donations from its sympathizers / members. Such cash has also been deposited by PFI leaders in the bank accounts of individuals and immediately thereafter equivalent amount of funds have been transferred from their bank accounts to PFI’s bank accounts so as to project the same as legitimate. 

Investigation further revealed that PFI has a well-structured and organized presence in the Gulf countries for raising and mobilizing funds as part of criminal conspiracy. 

These foreign funds are not directly deposited in the accounts of PFI, rather they are clandestinely routed to India through underground and illegal channels or sent to India in the guise of foreign remittances into the bank accounts of sympathizers / office bearers / members and their relatives / associates held in India and thereafter transferred to PFI’s bank accounts. This kind of layering and circuitous routing is done to conceal the foreign origin and trail of the proceeds of crime. In this way, the proceeds of crime have been generated, placed, layered, integrated and then projected as untainted money in the bank accounts of PFI.

Perwez Ahmed (PFI Delhi President), Md. Ilias (PFI Delhi General Secretary) and Abdul Muqeet (PFI Delhi Office Secretary), were an integral part of this conspiracy along with other office-bearers and members of the PFI and played key roles in the façade of bogus cash donations by way of which proceeds of crime were concealed, possessed and projected as untainted money. 

ED has already provisionally attached proceeds of crime amounting to Rs. 86.36 lakh in 24 bank accounts of PFI and Rs. 8.22 lakh in 7 bank accounts of Rehab India Foundation – a related entity of PFI. 

Further investigation against PFI and its office-bearers is underway.