Abbas Ansari was arrested in connection with the money laundering investigation into his father and family, according to police. Mukhtar Ansari, a five-time MLA, is presently imprisoned in Uttar Pradesh's Banda. In this case, Mukhtar Ansari was questioned by the ED last year.
The Enforcement Directorate has arrested Abbas Ansari, a Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party MLA from Mau and the son of gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, in a money laundering case, officials said on Saturday.
According to the official, Abbas Ansari (30) was arrested after a lengthy interrogation at the federal agency's office in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.
They added that he was arrested in connection with the money laundering investigation into his father and family.
The ED attached Mukhtar Ansari's seven immovable assets worth Rs 1.48 crore last month (registry value).
Mukhtar Ansari, a five-time MLA, is presently imprisoned in Uttar Pradesh's Banda. In this case, the 59-year-old was questioned by the ED last year.
In August, the agency raided the official residence of his elder brother, BSP MP Afzal Ansari, in Delhi, and some locations in Ghazipur, Mohammadabad (in Ghazipur district), Mau, and Lucknow.
Apart from two FIRs lodged against a company called Vikas Constructions (a partnership firm) run by his wife, two brothers-in-law, and others, the money laundering case against Mukhtar Ansari stems from multiple FIRs registered by the Uttar Pradesh Police.
Mukhtar Ansari is being investigated by the ED concerning at least 49 criminal cases against him, including land grabbing, murder, and extortion.
In Uttar Pradesh, he is on trial in several cases, including attempted murder and murder.
According to police, the Ghazipur district administration seized two plots of land measuring 1.901 hectares and valued at more than Rs 6 crore in August, which were purchased using alleged illegal earnings of Mukhtar Ansari.
The Uttar Pradesh Police, in July, had attached Afzal Ansari's assets worth Rs 14.90 crore under the Gangster Act.
(With inputs from PTI)
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