E-Paper
Mumbai: Special court asks Iqbal Mirchi’s wife, sons to appear
The ED had initiated money laundering investigation against the family last year. The agency has provisionally attached the family’s assets to the tune of Rs798 crore in India and abroad under the provisions of PMLA
A special court here has asked the wife and sons of Iqbal Mirchi, the late aide of gangster Dawood Ibrahim, to appear before it. Mirchi’s wife Hajra Memon and sons Junaid and Asif have been summoned under Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018, and they would be declared fugitive economic offenders if they fail to comply.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had, on December 4, approached the special court to declare the three as fugitive economic offenders as they have failed to respond to warrants issued against them and have not returned to India even after repeated summons and warrants.
The court has issued notices to all three to return to India or it would proceed to hear the ED’s plea.
The ED had initiated money laundering investigation against the gangster and his family on September 26, 2019. While probing the matter, the ED had provisionally attached the family’s assets to the tune of Rs798 crore in India and abroad under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.
The agency had arrested five accused persons, including Dewan Housing Finance Corporation (DHFL’s) Kapil Wadhawan, Dheeraj Wadhawan and Humayun Merchant in that case.
The ED probe has revealed that the DHFL allegedly extended loans to Sunblink Real Estate Pvt Ltd, which purportedly routed money to Mirchi, who died in the UK in August 2013. The DHFL came under the ED’s scanner when the agency was examining properties linked to Mirchi in Worli. The three properties have already been attached by ED under PMLA.
