ED raids premises of Delhi riots accused Tahir Hussain, several other places in money laundering probe

Suspended AAP councillor Tahir Hussain, who is facing charges of killing an Intelligence Bureau official, has been booked under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday conducted raids at premises of suspended Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor Tahir Hussain in connection with money laundering probe in northeast Delhi riots earlier in February this year.

Suspended Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor Tahir Hussain (centre), in police custody in connection with a case of rioting in northeast Delhi in February 2020.(Sanjeev Verma/HT File Photo)

The ED officials said that at least six premises in Delhi, Noida and few other locations in the national capital region were searched. The raids are aimed at collecting evidence in the case, they said.

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The agency in March had filed two cases to investigate the alleged funding of the Delhi riots - one against Hussain and another against Popular Front of India (PFI).

Hussain, who is facing charges of killing an Intelligence Bureau official, has been booked under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Hussain, who was an AAP corporator from ward number 59 under the Mustafabad assembly seat in Delhi, was booked by the police in the murder case of Intelligence Bureau (IB) staffer Ankit Sharma in North-East Delhi amid the violence over the new citizenship law that degenerated into a communal riot.

He was arrested in March after an FIR was filed against him by Sharma’s family. The ED is probing Hussain’s alleged links with PFI.

The Delhi Police’s crime branch had earlier this month filed charge sheets in connection with riots in North-East district of the city stating that Hussain had led the mob that killed IB staffer Ankit Sharma on February 25.

One of the charge sheets alleges a “deep rooted conspiracy” behind Sharma’s murder in which 10 people have been arrested so far.

Ankit Sharma, an intelligence bureau staffer, was killed by a mob during riots that broke out in north east Delhi on February 25 this year, when groups supporting and opposing the Citizens Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens clashed with each other for close to three days leading to at least 53 deaths.