English
Mumbai, February 16: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday evening arrested Mumbai-based controversial preacher cum televangelist’s close aide Aamir Amir Abdul Mannan Gazdar, a trustee of now banned Islamic Research Foundation (IRF). Aamir Gazdar has been arrested by the ED under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). According to a report, Aamir Gazdar is a director of Harmony Media Private Limited which has received donations worth Rs 200 crore between 2013 and 2016.
“ED arrests Aamir Gazdar, a close confidante of Zakir Naik under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA),” news agency ANI reported. Aamir Gazdar was today afternoon summoned by the ED, and after brief interrogation, he was arrested by the officials. Aamir Gazdar will be presented before the court on Friday where the officials at ED are looking his custody.
The officials at Enforcement Directorate took the decision of the arrest after they found several bank accounts belonging to televangelist Zakir Naik’s IRF and it’s media arm Harmony Media had received a donation worth Rs 200 crore. Out of Rs 200 crore around Rs 60 crore was transferred to India from Saudi Arabia, through a preferred route of Dubai. Some report suggests that a huge chunk of donated amount was spent for religious conversion.
Since November 2016, the ED is conducting a probe against Zakir Naik and his NGP IRF after the probing agency registered a money-laundering case against them. The ED officials reportedly said that right now they are in a process of getting the list of those who were converted by the Naik group and as the investigation will take progress their statements would also be recorded to ascertain the quantum of funds given to them.
The ED is probing into the money trail which has revealed that the bank accounts of the two entities and Zakir Naik received at least Rs 200 crore in last four years. The report also suggests that the 70 per cent of the money was transferred into accounts was from India.
In last few days, the central probing agency have questioned at least ten people including the past and present employees of the IRF, which included its accountants and Naik’s personal assistant. The ED is working on the leads that have emerged from these statements.
Also an NIA probe found that Zakir Naik’s organisation had granted scholarship to Rajasthan based youth – Abu Anas – who allegedly joined the Islamic State (ISIS) and attempted to go to Syria. The agency is also investigating whether Anas has used the scholarship money to join ISIS.
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