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Jailed MLA Abbas Ansari ran his business from jail through wife’s phones
Abbas has been lodged in the Chitrakoot jail for nearly 90 days now in connection with a money laundering case registered by Enforcement Directorate (ED).
LUCKNOW Days after the sensational reveal that incarcerated Mau MLA Abbas Ansari used to spend time with his wife in the prison illegally, it has now come to the surface that he ran his business from jail through his wife’s phones.
The latest revelation comes after Nikhat Ansari, the MLA’s wife, was arrested on February 11. She was found in a guest room inside the Chitrakoot jail along with two mobile phones and other objectionable items. None of her visits were logged into the jail register. Nikhat’s driver and seven jail personnel -- including jail superintendent Ashok Kumar and deputy jailer Sushil Kumar -- have been booked for violation of jail norms.
For the unversed, Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) MLA Abbas Ansari is the son of jailed mafioso-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari. Abbas has been lodged in the Chitrakoot jail for nearly 90 days now in connection with a money laundering case registered by Enforcement Directorate (ED). In the backdrop of the latest episode, he is likely to be shifted to the Kasganj jail.
The recent incident has alerted the jail and district administrations. Officials are now cracking down on Abbas Ansari’s nexus. Interestingly, his father Mukhtar faced similar allegations of running an illegal business while being lodged in jail. A senior police official privy to the development has said that the initial investigation revealed that Nikhat got a house on rent in Chitrakoot and she often visited the district jail, situated nearly five kilometres from the city area, along with her driver Niyaz.
The cop added Chitrakoot jail officials used to provide her with VVIP facilities as she visited jail every 2-3 days. It was made sure that the entire corridor is vacant when she arrived and the guest room, where she was found, is just adjacent to the jailor’s room. She would stay in jail for 4-5 hours.
The official also told HT that police are scanning the call details of the two phones recovered after Nikhat’s arrest. Other than the two mobile phones, Dirham currency notes, gold jewellery, and eatables were also found. “Contacts of some contractors, builders, and real estate firm owners have come up during the scanning of call records. It seems Abbas used to call them and operate his nexus from jail after the state government tightened the security around his father Mukhtar Ansari, who is lodged inside the Banda jail,” said the cop.
