The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has registered a case of money laundering against Indian-origin Islamic preacher Maulana Shamsul Huda Khan, who is presently based in the United Kingdom, news agency ANI reported citing officials. The officials said that an investigation has been launched under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The action by the ED is based on an FIR registered by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad, the report said.
Who is Shamsul Huda Khan?
The officials told ANI that Shamsul Huda Khan was appointed as an assistant teacher at a government-aided madrasa in 1984. He became a British citizen in 2013. Despite this, it is alleged that he continued to receive his salary between 2013 and 2017, even though he was no longer an Indian citizen and was living abroad without carrying out teaching work, the report said citing the officials.
It further said that over the last 20 years, he allegedly travelled to many countries and received substantial funds which was several crore rupees maintained through seven to eight bank accounts in India. Investigators have also found that he owned more than a dozen properties, with their total value estimated to be above Rs 30 crore.
FIR filed over alleged radical links and illegal foreign funding
An FIR was registered against Khan last month for allegedly spreading radical ideas and illegally collecting money from foreign sources in the name of religious education, a report by India Today said.
The case was filed at the Khalilabad police station in Sant Kabir Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh, based on the findings of a detailed investigation by Uttar Pradesh’s Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS).
Citing the ATS report, India Today added that Khan collected funds from individuals and organisations abroad and routed the money to madrasas in India through unauthorised means. He is accused of acting as a link between foreign donors and Indian institutions, using his NGO, Raza Foundation, to transfer money in violation of existing laws.
The investigation also found that Khan had set up two madrasas, one in Azamgarh and another in Sant Kabir Nagar. Following the probe, the state government cancelled the recognition of both institutions. The registration of his NGO has also been withdrawn.
The report added that Khan frequently travelled to Pakistan and was in touch with radical clerics and other suspicious individuals there, as well as in Jammu and Kashmir. Investigators alleged that he used his computer and social media accounts to stay connected with people in Kashmir to spread extremist views and grow his network.
It was also reported that even after becoming a British citizen, Khan continued to visit India and Pakistan often, where he allegedly built links with several Islamist groups and tried to expand his influence in sensitive areas.
