ED Attaches Rs 1.77 Cr of Journalist Rana Ayyub in Money Laundering Case

An ED official said Ayyub had allegedly misused the funds and diverted them into another account for personal expenses.

NEW DELHI — The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday said it has attached Rs 1.77 crore of journalist Rana Ayyub in connection with a money laundering case lodged against her for allegedly misusing funds collected in the name of help and charity through a website.

An ED official said Ayyub had allegedly misused the funds and diverted them into another account for personal expenses.

ED sources said she cheated donors in a pre-planned manner.

“Funds totalling to Rs 2,69,44,680 was raised on Ketto by Rana Ayyub. These funds were transferred in the bank accounts of her sister/father. Out of this amount, Rs 72,01,786 was transferred in her own bank account; Rs 37,15,072 in her sister Iffat Shaikh’s account and Rs 1,60,27,822 in her father Mohd Ayyub Waquif’s bank account. All these funds from her sister’s and father’s account were subsequently transferred to her own account,” read an ED document accessed by a news agency.

It also mentioned Rana Ayyub submitted information/documents of expense to the tune of Rs 31,16,770. However, after verification of the claimed expenses, it surfaced that the actual expense was only Rs 17,66,970.

“Fake bills were found to have been prepared by Rana Ayyub in the name of some entities to claim expenses on relief work. Expenses made for personal travel by air were claimed as expense for relief work,” it said.

Investigations conducted by the Directorate of Enforcement have made it abundantly clear that the funds were raised in the name of charity in a completely pre-planned and systematic manner and the funds were not utilised completely for the purpose of which the funds were raised.

Investigations disclosed that instead of utilising the funds for the relief work, Ayyub parked some of the funds by opening a separate current bank account.

She also created a Fixed Deposit of Rs 50 Lakh from the funds raised on Ketto and subsequently did not utilise them for relief work.

“Accordingly, at the stage of investigation, the proceeds of crime are quantified as Rs 1,77,27,704 and the interest generated upon the said FD of Rs 50 lakh,” the order read.

Earlier, on August 28, 2021, one Vikas Sankrityayan, had lodged a complaint with the Ghaziabad Police against Rana alleging that she cheated the general public in the name of charity.

Acting on his complaint, on September 7, 2021, an FIR was lodged against her at Indirapuram Police Station. She was booked under sections 403, 406, 418, 420 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), read with section 66D of the Information Technology Act.

Later, on the basis of this FIR, the ED also initiated a money-laundering probe.

Now, the ED has attached her Rs 1.77 crore alleging that this money was part of the proceeds of crime. (IANS)