Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has recommended a probe by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) into all the properties amassed by gangster Vikas Dubey that is worth around Rs 147 crore.
Dubey, 56, was killed in an encounter with the Special Task Force on July 10, days after he and his men ambushed and killed eight policemen in Bikru village.
The ED has already been probing money laundering charges against him and had registered a case against Dubey and his 10 associates, including his financier Jaikant Bajpai on September 14, under the charges of violation of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
While the probe into the gangster’s money trail is underway, the chief minister has now recommended a probe by ED to find out the source of income of Vikas Dubey and associates and how they managed to raise assets worth Rs 147 crore.
The decision of the chief minister was based on the report prepared by the Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by additional chief secretary, Sanjay Bhoosreddy, which had specifically recommended that the ED should investigate Dubey’s properties.
According to officials, the ED was earlier supposed to check money trail and funding and now it will probe into sources of income of the don and his aides over the past 20 years.
The SIT had also recommended action against 90 officials, including 41 policemen, and other government employees from rural development, food and revenue departments.
Eight policemen, including a circle officer, were shot dead by Dubey and his men when they went to arrest the gangster on the intervening night of July 2/3.
Dubey was killed in an encounter while he was being brought from Ujjain to Kanpur when he allegedly tried to flee after assaulting policemen; five of his other associates were also killed in separate encounters between July 3 and 10.
–IANS
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