ED carries out raids in Prayagraj against Atiq Ahmed in PMLA case

PRAYAGRAJ: Teams of Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday carried out fresh raids in Prayagraj and neighbouring Kaushambi district as part of an ongoing money laundering investigation against mafioso-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and those associated with him.
The raids were being carried out at over a dozen locations, including Civil Lines, Khuldabad, Dhoomanganj, Kareli, and teams reportedly seized cash and jewellery worth crores of rupees, sale-deeds, luxury vehicles and other documents.

The raids that started early morning and continued till late evening hours comes on a day when Atiq was being brought to Prayagraj from Gujarat's Sabarmati jail for being questioned in connection with lawyer Umesh Pal and two of his police gunners killing case.
Sources told TOI: "The raids were being conducted at the offices and houses of the close associates of the don, including a city-based builder, financers, ex-MLA of Chail assembly constituency of Kaushambi, owner of an auto showroom, accountant, and a lawyer."

The ED teams were accompanied by personnel of central para military forces. Sources said, senior ED authorities had been camping in the city for the past few days to chalk out plans for the raids.
To note, ED had registered a case against Atiq and others in April 2021 and attached assets worth over Rs 8 crore of the don and his wife as part of the money laundering investigation against them. It had conducted some searches at that time too. At that time, the agency had said its probe established that Atiq, through criminal activities, used to accumulate dirty money in cash and deposit/place them in his and his relatives' bank accounts.