MLA Amanatullah Khan has come under scrutiny after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) alleged that he opened an “unauthorized” bank account to collect funds for victims of the Delhi riots. According to the ED’s chargesheet, which was filed against him and his second wife, Maryam Siddiqui, the funds raised were partially withdrawn in cash and handed over to Khan.
This supplementary prosecution complaint was submitted to a special court handling cases under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in Delhi on Tuesday, with a hearing scheduled for November 4.
The ED’s investigation is focused on alleged misconduct during Khan’s time as chairman of the Delhi Waqf Board from 2016 to 2021. Representing the Okhla constituency, the 50-year-old MLA is also accused of failing to disclose complete information about his dependents in his election affidavit.
The agency stated that Khan established the “Delhi Waqf Board Relief Committee” without the necessary approval from the Board, soliciting donations for those affected by the February 2020 riots. It claims that funds raised from the public were withdrawn in cash under Khan’s direction.
Additionally, the ED alleges that Khan did not provide full details about his dependents in his election documents. Notably, his second wife, Maryam Siddiqui, reportedly has no known source of income and has not filed any tax returns.
The investigation revealed that in 2020, Khan purchased property valued at ₹19 lakh in Siddiqui’s name, with payments made partially in cash and from funds provided by his associate, Zeeshan Haider. The ED contends that Khan, alongside his associates, managed illicit funds during his tenure at the Waqf Board and used these to make cash payments for property transactions in Okhla.
A seized handwritten diary belonging to Kausar Imam Siddiqui allegedly documented cash transactions totaling ₹27 crore linked to the property purchase. The agency also discovered significant suspicious cash deposits in the bank accounts of the property’s seller and his wife.
Currently, Khan, Haider, Daud Nasir, Kausar Imam Siddiqui, and Jawed Imam Siddiqui are in judicial custody after being arrested by the ED. The first chargesheet in this case, involving all except Khan, was filed in January. The money laundering investigation is tied to two FIRs: one from the Central Bureau of Investigation related to alleged irregularities at the Waqf Board and another concerning disproportionate assets reported by the Delhi police’s anti-corruption unit.
With inputs from PTI.