E-Paper
Former U.P. minister Yaqoob’s properties worth ₹20 cr confiscated
The confiscation of properties is being carried out under the provisions of the Gangster Act invoked against Qureshi, his family and others last year
After the district administration’s order here, police have confiscated illegal properties worth ₹20 crore of former U.P. minister and Bahujan Samaj Party leader Haji Yaqoob Qureshi in the past two days.
The police teams are likely to confiscate more such properties of Yaqoob and his family members in coming days. The confiscation of properties is being carried out under the provisions of the Gangster Act invoked against Qureshi, his family and others last year.
A police team led by SP (rural) Aniruddh Singh confiscated a palatial house of Yaqoob’s family in Sarai Behleem locality here on Saturday. The police also sealed a portion of house prohibiting the family members from using it. They, however, allowed the family to stay in the other portion and warned of action if they violated the directions.
Yaqoob’s sons tried to resist but they were warned that a case would be lodged against them if they stalled government work. On Friday, a police team led by circle officer (CO), Mundali area, Rupali Rao reached the agriculture land in Shakarpur village.
There, 17 bigha land was registered in the name of Yaqoob’s wife Sanjeeda Begum who is also an accused in a case registered against Yaqoob, his two sons and 13 others in March last year. Later in December 2022, they were also booked under the Gangster Act under which district magistrate of Meerut Deepak Meena passed order for confiscation of their properties.
The CO said the agriculture land worth ₹9 crore was confiscated and a board of notice regarding confiscation was put up on the land to prohibit its sale and purchase and any use without seeking permission from the administration. She said so far properties worth ₹31 crore had been identified.
The police arrested his 10 employees in a raid on March 31, 2022, at Yaqoob’s meat factory where illegal meat packing was going on. Seventeen people including Yakub, his wife and both sons were named by the police in the case. Yaqoob is currently lodged in Sonbhadra jail while his sons Imran and Firoz besides wife Sanjeeda Begum are currently out on bail.
