In a major crackdown by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, former MLC Mohammad Iqbal has encountered stern action with seized properties summing over 4000 crores. The attached assets include land and a university building valued at approximately INR 4440 crores.
According to the agency, an interim attachment order was issued as part of an ongoing money laundering investigation, subsequently leading to the confiscation of 121 acres of land and the building of Glocal University. ED’s statement proclaims these properties are registered in the name of Abdul Waheed Educational and Charitable Trust, controlled by Mohammad Iqbal and his family members.
This major move against Mohammad Iqbal, the trust, and his family members is linked to an illegal mining operation. The former MLC is currently absconding, believed to be in Dubai. Mohammad Iqbal's four sons, along with his brother, all face charges and are currently incarcerated.
The money laundering case filed in Delhi is connected to illegal sand mining, unauthorized renewal of leases, and numerous mining lessees, certain officials, and unidentified individuals in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh. All mining firms were owned and operated by the Mohammad Iqbal Group, heavily involved in widespread illicit mining activities in Saharanpur and the surrounding regions.
The ED stated that despite showing nominal income in tax returns, there were found multiple transactions worth crores without any business logic between mining firms and the companies under the Mohammad Iqbal Group.
