Friday, Apr 19, 2024 | Last Update : 04:48 PM IST
Attachment of Naik’s 6 more properties delayed
ED is aware that the land parcel is located on the outskirts of Mumbai and the properties are additional to those identified by the NIA.
Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has been delayed in attaching six more properties belonging to controversial Islamic preacher and televangelist Zakir Naik as the current custodians are evading investigation.
ED sources revealed that the agency needs property documents from the current custodians in order to initiate the attachment process however they are not making themselves available. The properties are based out of Mumbai and Pune, officials said.
Even after issuance of multiple summons, the owners, who are Naik’s relatives, continue to be evasive and registration documents, unavailable. The properties are located in Pune and Mumbai and also include a land parcel, unlike flats in residential apartments as in the earlier case, officials said.
A senior ED officer said, “We have sent them multiple summons, asking them to appear for questioning and to submit property registration documents. The maximum number of summons that could be sent as per the PMLA has been sent and we are taking legal opinion on further action.”
The ED is aware that the land parcel is located on the outskirts of Mumbai and the properties are additional to those identified by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is also probing terror angles against Naik.
The ED officer said, “These assets are located in plush areas of Pune and Mumbai and our probe is to find out if they were bought from the Rs 200 crores sent by Naik between 2013 and 2016 to his point man, Amir Gazdar. The investigation is focused on the money trail and investments in India.”
The ED has already attached properties worth Rs 18.3 crore owned by Naik and his non-profit Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) in March in connection with the PMLA case against him.
Properties attached so far
In March this year, the ED made first attachments of Naik’s properties worth Rs 18.3 crore. This included investment in mutual funds worth Rs 9.41 crore; Islamic Education Trust’s school in Chennai worth Rs 7.05 crore; a godown of Naik’s media arm, Harmony Media Pvt Ltd worth Rs 68 lakh; and bank accounts of IRF with deposits worth Rs 1.23 crore.
