Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday conducted searches at seven locations in Mumbai as part of its money laundering investigation into a case against alleged drug lord Ali Asgar Shirazi, who is said to be a close associate of the wanted drug syndicate kingpin Kailash Rajput.
Shirazi is accused of smuggling drugs worth over ₹200 crore to Europe and Australia. In March this year, Mumbai Crime Branch had busted a big drug syndicate, raided a unit in Andheri, and seized 15.74 kilos of ketamine worth ₹7.87 crore and over 23,000 strips of Viagra tablets worth ₹58 lakh. The police arrested seven people in the case.
Based on the Crime Branch’s case, the ED early this month registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
ED finds incriminating documents during search
According to the ED, officials conducted a raid on Mehreen Aliasgar Shirazi, the wife of Shirazi. The ED team recovered ₹3 to ₹5 lakh in cash and several documents from her premises; a raid on the premises of Pan Liner Freight Forwarders, in which Shirazi, his wife Mehreen, and Harish Murli Nagrani are partners. The ED team found incriminating documents during the search; a raid at Hustlers Hospitality, as well as at the premises of its director, Krunal Ojha, and his father, Dinesh Ojha. Notably, one of the directors of the company was Shirazi, who had initiated several startup businesses involving Bollywood celebrities; and a raid on the premises of Megha Vijay Rane, wife of arrested accused Vijay Rane, and Firoz Multani.
The teams found incriminating documents during the search and are now scanning them. Preliminary statements of the individuals raided have been recorded and they have been asked to come to the ED office to explain suspicious transactions.
“The individuals and the relatives of the arrested accused we have raided are linked to those companies that were used by the syndicate operators to launder the money. We are closely scrutinising the documents seized and trying to establish the money flow of the drug syndicate,” an agency source said.
Companies linked with Shirazi suspected to have connections to Rajput syndicate, says ED
According to the ED, companies linked with Shirazi are suspected to have connections to the Rajput syndicate. Shirazi played a crucial role in managing Rajput’s drug operations in India. He was involved in producing and distributing ketamine to meet European demand, and acting on Rajput’s instructions. The Crime Branch discovered 72 instances of drug shipments abroad before Shirazi’s arrest.
The ED found that Shirazi was operating multiple shell companies to channel his drug money into businesses. During a raid at Hustlers Hospitality, it was discovered that he was an additional director of the company since June 27, 2022. Sources indicate that Shirazi provided significant seed funding to Krunal Ojha, the company’s director, and his father, Dinesh Ojha, in exchange for his appointment as an additional director in Hustlers Hospitality. With funds amounting to crores, Krunal initiated a cloud kitchen business in South Mumbai and its suburbs.
Pan Liner Freight Forwarders is another company where Shirazi and his wife are on the board of directors and have made significant investments. Furthermore, Shirazi serves as the destination partner in FALISHA TECHNOWORLD along with his wife.
