ED conducts searches at Mandvi bizman’s premises

Surat: Officials of Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted searches at the premises of a businessman in Mandvi of Surat district. The businessman has links with a senior politician from the region and has been elected to a key position for over 10 years, said sources.
According to sources, a large amount of cash was seized from the mansion of the businessman. However, ED officials are yet to confirm this. It is also being investigated to find out if money was sent to Dubai through hawala channels.
Sources claimed that the ED also conducted a search at the residence of an angadia firm employee to collect evidence. The firm and its employee, operating from the Althan area of the city, were traced during an investigation by ED Mumbai. The Surat city and district links were traced during the investigation under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
No arrests have been made by ED officials from Surat city or district till now.
Searches were conducted by ED at a total of 23 premises in Malegaon, Nashik, and Mumbai in Maharashtra, and Ahmedabad and Surat in Gujarat. The raids were part of a money laundering probe against a Malegaon-based trader, who allegedly misused bank accounts of various people to carry out transactions worth more than Rs 100 crore.
Initially, an FIR was lodged by police in Malegaon for money laundering, and later the ED initiated an investigation. The FIR was lodged a week ago against a trader named Siraj Ahmed Haroon Memon, who runs a tea and cold drinks agency, apart from some of his associates.
The FIR was lodged by a man whose bank account was allegedly misused for money transactions, and it was alleged that the account was used to transfer election funds. The key accused in the case took identity documents from multiple individuals to open bank accounts in the Nashik Merchant Cooperative Bank. The accused told the complainant that he needed the bank accounts as he was going to start a corn business.
Sources claimed that around 14 bank accounts were identified as opened during Sep-Oct.
The ED found debit and credit entries worth more than Rs 100 crore each and is now conducting the searches to gather more evidence, including the role of some hawala operatives, the sources said.
Around 2,500 transactions and nearly 170 bank branches spread across states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Odisha, and West Bengal are under the scanner of the ED, as funds have either been deposited or withdrawn from these accounts, the sources added.
The agency suspects that the accused may be using these funds to divert and route funds for some people and companies for money laundering and hawala trade by misusing the banking credentials of common people by using them as ‘mule' accounts. The angle of misusing the accounts for electoral malpractice is also being looked at. However, no such inputs have been gathered so far, the sources said.