In a significant development in the Rs 125 crore money laundering case linked to dubious accounts in a Malegaon bank, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday arrested Akram Mohammad Shafi at Ahmedabad airport.
Shafi, one of the alleged masterminds against whom a look out circular (LOC) was already issued, was caught by immigration authorities, while attempting to flee to Dubai, said the agency. The officials said that another arrested accused, Siraj Mohammad, opened and operated the 14 dubious accounts at Nashik Merchant Co-operative (NAMCO) Bank in Malegaon, at Shafi's behest. The latter also trained him how to mislead investigators and obscure the money trail, the ED said.
Meanwhile, the Malegaon district court has extended Siraj Mohammad's police remand until November 25. During the court proceedings, the Chavani police, Malegaon, informed that they have now identified eight more persons, including a bank employee, involved in the conspiracy. During the interrogation, Siraj Mohammad allegedly disclosed that a sum of Rs 14 crore, withdrawn from NAMCO Bank, was transferred to Mumbai and Surat through a hawala channel by Milan Kumar Popatbhai Patel, the second arrested accused.
Probe further revealed that the whopping amount was received by one Sagar alias Qadir Bhagad in Mumbai, who was reportedly acting on Shafi's behalf. Upon digging deeper, it came to the fore that the actual recipient in Mumbai was Sheikh Shehzad, an employee of alleged hawala operator Jafar Bhai Nabinwala in Andheri. Sources indicate that Jafar Bhai, a close associate of Shafi, is currently being sought by the ED and the Malegaon police.
According to the agency officials, Shafi along with the absconding accused, Bessaniya Vali Mohammed from Surat, allegedly orchestrated the opening of several shell companies to launder illicit funds. The agency further discovered that it was on Shafi's instructions that Rs 14 crore were withdrawn by Siraj Mohammad and his accomplices and transferred to Mumbai through an angadia.
An examination of the bank statements of the complainant, in whose name one of the NAMCO accounts was held, revealed that Siraj Mohammad allegedly opened accounts under the names of Blaz International and Fairbean International at Axis Bank, Malegaon. These accounts are believed to have been set up for international transactions, while the specific purposes behind the cash flow is under lens.
In a further development, the police have seized six SIM cards and several ATM cards from Siraj Mohammad's residence. They have also issued a formal request for the search of 12 SIM cards that were used to operate these accounts.
More fraudulent accounts found
The police have unearthed a dubious account held in the name of one Ranjit Bhai Solanki, allegedly linked to Pragati Enterprises, at Axis Bank’s Naranpura branch in Ahmedabad. Solanki claimed that he had been duped by one Jayraj Gohel from the Odhav area, who obtained his signature under false pretenses. Another such account linked to M K Enterprises was found at the bank's Chandaliya branch. The account holder, Salman Mirza, is currently untraceable.
