New Delhi, May 15 (PTI) The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday said it has filed a charge sheet against Shaista Parveen, the wife of slain gangster-politician Atiq Ahmad, in a money laundering case linked to alleged multi-crore extortion against the couple.
A special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Lucknow took cognisance of the prosecution complaint on May 14 (Wednesday), the federal agency said in a statement.
The ED had in December, 2021 attached movable and immovable properties worth Rs 8.14 crore of the couple including a land at Phulpur in Prayagraj that was registered in the name of Parveen and bank balance of Rs 1.28 crore lying in 10 accounts of Ahmad and one account of Parveen.
The money laundering case stems from a CBI FIR related to extortion, cheating, forgery, and illegal acquisition of assets.
Later, the scope of the investigation was expanded to include several FIRs filed at various police stations in Uttar Pradesh for criminal offences related to murder, extortion, cheating, forgery, land grabbing, and crimes of a similar nature, the ED said.
"In order to trace further proceeds of crime acquired by Atiq Ahmad and his associates/family members/relatives, it came to notice that he and his associates were investing their ill-gotten money acquired through illegal activities in purchasing immovable properties.
"It was also found that these immovable properties were registered in the name of various other persons/benami holders to avoid detection by government agencies and tax authorities," it said.
Parveen is stated to be absconding after her husband was killed last year.
Ahmad (60) and his brother Khalid Azim alias Ashraf were shot dead by three assailants in April, 2023 when they were being taken for a health checkup by police in Prayagraj.