The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached 121-acre land and building of Glocal University in Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh, currently worth about ₹4,440 crore, belonging to the Abdul Waheed Educational and Charitable Trust in connection with an illegal mining case, said the agency on Friday.
The properties are registered in the name of Abdul Waheed Educational and Charitable Trust, which is controlled, managed, and run purportedly by Mohammed Iqbal, a former Member of Legislative Council, and his family members.
The ED’s money-laundering case is based on a first information report (FIR) registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe the alleged illegal renewal of sand mining leases in Saharanpur. Among those allegedly involved were mining lease holders named Mehmood Ali, Dilshad, Mohammed Inam, Mehboob Alam (since expired), Naseem Ahmad, Amit Jain, Vikas Agarwal, Mohammed Wajid, Mukesh Jain, Puneet Jain, some government officials of Saharanpur, and unknown others.
“…all the mining firms were being owned and operated by Mohammed Iqbal group. These firms were involved in rampant illegal mining in Saharanpur and adjacent areas. In spite of the meagre earnings shown in the ITRs [Income-Tax Returns], high value transactions to the tune of cores of rupees have been found between the mining firms and group companies of Mohamme Iqbal without having any business relations. And ultimately all the funds were routed to the bank account of Abdul Waheed Educational and Charitable Trust, Saharanpur, through multiple sham entities and bogus transaction, in the form of unsecured loans and donations,” said the ED.
The agency alleged that all the trustees were family members of Mr. Iqbal, including himself. The funds of the trust were later used for purchase of land in Saharanpur and constructions of a building for running the Glocal University. “More than ₹500 crore earned from illegal mining was used in buying of land and construction of the university building. The present market value of the said property is ₹4,439 crore,” an official said.
Mr. Iqbal is alleged to have fled the country and is believed to be in Dubai. His four sons and a brother are currently lodged in jail in multiple cases registered against them, according to the agency.
