Gangster Mukhtar Ansari convicted in 1996 case, gets 10 years in jail
Gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari was arrested by the ED under the criminal provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after being produced before a local court in Prayagraj on Wednesday based on a production warrant filed by the agency.
FollowA gangster-turned-politician, Mukhtar Ansari, was convicted in another case and sentenced to ten years in prison under the Gangster Act on Thursday, December 15, 2022. The conviction of the five-time former MLA stems from a 1996 case involving an attack on a police official in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had arrested him in a money laundering case earlier on Wednesday after he appeared in court in Prayagraj. Last year, the 59-year-old was also questioned by the ED in this case.
For several years, Ansari has been held in a Banda, Uttar Pradesh jail in connection with various criminal cases being investigated by the state police.
The ED arrested him under the criminal provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after being produced before a local court in Prayagraj on Wednesday based on a production warrant filed by the agency.
The federal probe agency also arrested his MLA son Abbas Ansari in November after being questioned at its Prayagraj sub-zonal office. Later, Atif Raza, Mukhtar Ansari's brother-in-law, was arrested.
The agency has also issued a lookout circular against Mukhtar Ansari's wife, Afsan Ansari, for failing to appear in court after being summoned.
The money laundering case against Mukhtar Ansari stems from multiple FIRs filed by the Uttar Pradesh Police and two additional FIRs filed against Vikas Constructions (a partnership firm) run by his wife, two brothers-in-law (including Atif Raza) and others.
The ED is investigating Mukhtar Ansari in connection with at least 49 criminal cases filed against him, including charges of land grabbing, murder, and extortion. He is on trial in Uttar Pradesh for a number of offences, including attempted murder and murder.
Previously, the agency attached seven immovable assets of Mukhtar Ansari worth Rs 1.48 crore (registry value).
The agency also raided the official residence of Mukhtar Ansari's elder brother, BSP MP Afzal Ansari, in Delhi in August, and some locations in Ghazipur district, Mau, and the state capital Lucknow.
According to police, the Ghazipur district administration seized two plots of land measuring 1.901 hectares valued at more than Rs 6 crore purchased using Mukhtar Ansari's alleged illegal earnings.
Under the Gangster Act, the Uttar Pradesh Police attached Afzal Ansari's assets worth Rs 14.90 crore in July.
Also read:Â Mukhtar Ansari's MLA son Abbas Ansari arrested by ED in money laundering case
Also read:Â ED raids multiple places linked to politician Mukhtar Ansari in money laundering case
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