Uttar Pradesh: ED to grill Atiq Ahmad in Sabarmati jail, wife summoned

LUCKNOW: Enforcement Directorate (ED) personnel are likely to question don-turned-politician, Atiq Ahmad, at Sabarmati prison, where he’s currently lodged, if his wife, Shaista Parveen, ignores a third summon for recording her statement on benami properties.
On April 10, ED registered a case under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against jailed gangster, Atiq Ahmad, who along with his son, Umar, has 195 criminal cases lodged against them.ED sources confirmed it has tracked down 16 real estate firms with dubious transactions linked to Atiq, his son and wife and sought personal appearance of his wife for questioning.
“After she ignored two summons, we have issued a third,” said an official. ED officials said, after registration of the case, auditors of the don’s companies were summoned, but they too refused to cooperate. Later, summons was issued to Umar Ahmad, who too spurned the summons, said the officer. Umar was then charged under Section 174 IPC for disobedience of a public servant’s order, but this too was ignored. Now, Shaista is being served a third notice and if she doesn’t cooperate, an ED team will be dispatched to question Atiq, who’s lodged in Sabarmati prison in Gujarat since June 2019.
The one-time MP’s properties of over Rs 300 crore have been confiscated or attached by the administration and UP Police. ED will also be probing the money laundering trail after Central Bureau of Investigation registered an FIR against Atiq Ahmad and his son for extortion, assault and kidnapping by Lucknow-based businessman Mohit Jaiswal in June 2019.