Will declare you fugitives if you fail to appear: Court to Iqbal Mirchi’s family

The special court under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act (FEOA), 2018, asked Junaid and Asif Memon, the sons of late gangster Iqbal Mirchi, as well as his widow Hajra, to appear before the court by February 16, failing which it would declare the three as fugitive economic offenders.

The special court under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act (FEOA), 2018, asked Junaid and Asif Memon, sons of late gangster Iqbal Mirchi, as well as his widow Hajra, to appear before the court by February 16, failing which it would declare the three as fugitive economic offenders.

Late gangster Iqbal Mirchi, close aide of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim. (HT FILE)

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had on December 4 approached the special court to declare the three as fugitive economic offenders as they had failed to respond to warrants issued against them and have not returned to India despite repetitive summons and warrants. The court accepted the agency’s argument.

The agency had initiated a money laundering investigation against Mirchi and his family on September 26, 2019. While probing the matter, ED had provisionally attached assets worth around ₹798 crore linked to the family in India and abroad under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

The central agency officers had also arrested five accused including Dewan Housing Finance Corporation’s (DHFL) Kapil Wadhawan, Dheeraj Wadhawan and Humayun Merchant in the case.