ED Registers Money Laundering Case Against Umar Gautam, Mufti Jahangir

New Delhi, 26 June 2021 [Fik/News Sources]: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has registered a case to probe money laundering charges against Umar Gautam and Mufti Jahangir Qasmi. The duo was arrested on June 21 by the Uttar Pradesh’s Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) for allegedly forcing over 1,000 people to change their religion. Muslim community leadership has criticised the arrests saying it was aimed at polarizing the society ahead of UP election.

A senior ED official told IANS that the financial probe agency has registered a case on the basis of the FIR registered by the ATS. The ED will look into foreign funding and money laundering angles in this case, he said.

The arrests were made following the registration of an FIR in the case at Lucknow’s ATS police station.

Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) has strongly denounced the arrests. Its vice president Prof. Mohammad Salim Engineer, while rejecting the allegation against them, has said that the manner in which they were arrested and are being implicated in serious charges and the way a section of the media is overreacting, it clearly shows that attempts are being made to exploit public sentiments by creating a charged atmosphere of fear, intimidation and hatred for political mileage. “Such attempts to divert attention from the real public issues to create a sentimental atmosphere in view of the UP Assembly elections to be held eight months later, are very regrettable,” he said.

The ATS has alleged that Umar Gautam and Mufti Jahangir have been involved in converting physically impaired students and other poor people to Islam in Uttar Pradesh with funding from Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has ordered action under the Gangster Act and National Security Act (NSA) against those involved in the conversion of the physically challenged children and youth.

UP’s Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar has said that the Islamic Dawah Center run by Umar Gautam has access to funds from ISI and other foreign agencies.

Now he says that Umar Gautams organization has presence in 24 states. “The issue is sensitive and under investigation. We will launch an ATS helpline number for parents who wish to divulge information on forceful conversion of their children. We are interrogating Umar Gautam and Jahangir and gathering clues,” he said.

Meanwhile ATS officials have raided two establishments linked to Umar Gautam in UP’s Malihabad and Hardoi and documents seized from the campus are being scrutinized to track source of funds.

“Umar was Vice-President of the Malihabad unit and we are trying to find out if the two institutes were used as a base for forceful conversion,” said an officer involved in the investigations.

A senior ATS official said that a school principal who made Urdu and Arabic compulsory for Hindu students in Fatehpur will also be questioned.

“Umar Gautam would often visit the school accompanied by 20 clerics,” said a teacher who lodged a complaint against the principal.

— With inputs from IANS