Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is probing a money-laundering case against late gangster Iqbal Mirchi and others, has provisionally attached 15 properties in Dubai. The properties belong to family members of Mirchi and have been attached under Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA).
"These properties include one hotel namely Midwest Hotel Apartment and 14 other commercial and residential properties having a total value of AED 101.52 million, equivalent to Rs 203.27 crore. Earlier, ED has already issued two provisional attachment orders in December 2019 attaching properties to the tune of Rs 573 crore. Now the total attachment in this case has reached to Rs 776 crore," said an ED officer.
The anti-money laundering agency registered a money laundering case against Mirchi and others on September 26 last year under the provisions of PMLA. In this case, five accused including Humayun Merchant, Dewan Housing Finance Corporation (DHFL) promoters Kapil Wadhawan and Dheeraj Wadhawan were arrested.
A prosecution complaint was filed on December 12 last year before the Special PMLA Court and cognizance of the same has been taken by the Court. Open ended Non-Bailable Warrants have been issued by the court against Asif Memon, Junaid Memon (both sons of Iqbal Mirchi) and Hajra Memon (wife of Iqbal Memon).
The DHFL allegedly extended loans to Sunblink Real Estate Pvt Ltd, which purportedly routed money to Mirchi, who died in the UK in August 2013. The DHFL came under the ED’s scanner when the agency was examining three properties linked to Mirchi, an aide of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim, in Worli.
The ED’s investigation has shown that in 1986, Mirchi bought three properties from the Mohammad Yusuf Trust, an organisation that Mirchi allegedly used as a front to negotiate with several developers. In 2010, when Mirchi was based in Dubai, Sunblink Real Estate Pvt Ltd bought three properties from him and later developed them.
According to the ED, Mirchi signed agreements in 2010, in which he received 90 million dirhams for development rights of these properties. All these are proceeds of crime, said the ED.
