Rana Ayyub Attached To 1.77 Crores Money Laundering Case Under The Pretext Of Charity
On Thursday, Assets worth over 1.77 crores belonging to journalist Rana Ayyub have been locked by the Enforcement Doctorate (ED). This has happened after a complaint filed by Indirapuram Police Station in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh which accused Rana Ayyub of acquiring money from the public under the name of charity.
A money-laundering probe suggests there have been irregularities in charitable funds raised by public donors which has been connected to Rana Ayyub. Under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the agency issues a provisional order to Rs 50 lakh worth of fixed deposits and the rest of the amount was kept in 2 accounts in a private bank of Navi Mumbai. The federal investigation agency also said that Ayyub is the account holder for these accounts and the ED has attached deposits totalling Rs 1,77,27,704 on an online forum called Keto.
Rana Ayyub started three campaigns including relief work for Assam, Bihar and Maharashtra during June- Sept 2020, funds for slum dwellers and farmers during April- May 2020, and help for Covid-19 impacted people in India during May-June 2021, according to probe officials.
Also Read: Rana Ayyub Files Complaint With Mumbai Police After Receiving Death Threats, Rape Threats, And Vulgar Comments On Social Media
Ayyub apparently received donations of around Rs 2.69 crore through all three donation campaigns. Out of this, Rs 80.49 lakh were received in foreign currency. Sources claimed the foreign donations were later returned by Ayyub as the Income Tax Department started an investigation because it was violating the Foreign Contribution Regulations Act (FCRA).
