Mafia don Mukhtar Ansari's foray from the criminal underworld to politics amassed him a fortune worth hundreds of crores. His enormous wealth became evident when government agencies decimated or seized more than INR 608 crore of his black money in 2020. Let's dive into how Mukhtar Ansari acquired his illegal assets and the various businesses he dabbled in.
On a fateful Thursday evening, former UP legislator and mafia don Mukhtar Ansari succumbed to a heart attack. Ansari, with a criminal dossier as chilling as any horror, built a vast empire amidst his felonious ways. Mukhtar's reign of terror ensured that without his approval, no contracts or business ventures could proceed in the Purvanchal region, evidenced by roughly 155 FIRs lodged in his name.
Bulldozing the Illicit Empire
The clampdown by various agencies has so far targeted properties estimated to be over INR 1,200 crore, with about INR 608 crore either seized or razed. Moreover, Ansari's illegal business operations, valuing over INR 2,100 crore, have been dismantled. Reports indicate that Mukhtar Ansari and his gang operated illicit enterprises in sectors such as contracting, mining, scrap dealing, alcohol, coal, railway contracts, and black-market fish trading.
In May 2023, the Income Tax Department seized Ansari's properties in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, under the Prevention of Benami Property Transactions Act (PBPPA). This seizure, amounting to nearly INR 20 crore, was registered under the name of Ganesh Dutt Mishra, a close associate of Ansari. Investigations revealed Mishra as a 'benamidar' (proxy), and the properties were indeed owned by Ansari. In connection with this case, Mukhtar Ansari's wife, Afsha Ansari, was summoned for questioning by the Income Tax Department in June 2023 but failed to appear.
According to the Income Tax Department, Mukhtar Ansari had acquired numerous properties under the name of Ganesh Mishra. Continuous raids uncovered these benami properties, with more than INR 120 crore worth of assets coming under scrutiny, and legal proceedings are ongoing. Previously, the police had seized benami properties worth INR 7.17 crore belonging to gang member Angad Rai.
The relentless identification of illegal and benami properties of the Mukhtar gang is underway. As members of the Mukhtar gang are arrested, more undisclosed assets come to light. For this purpose, the tax authority has dubbed their crackdown 'Operation Panther'.
The Accounting of Illegal Enterprises
In September last year, an illegal property was exposed in Lucknow's Dalibagh, and the Benami Wing of the Income Tax Department, under 'Operation Panther,' seized benami assets belonging to Mukhtar Ansari worth INR 1.50 crore. This residential plot in Ghazipur was initially bought for INR 76 lakh in the name of Tanveer Saher but had originally been purchased by Ansari's wife, Afsha. In 2010, it was transferred to Ganesh Dutt Mishra, who then sold it to Tanveer Saher in 2020. Prior to this event, the Income Tax Department also seized Ghazipur properties worth INR 1.25 crore, which were initially purchased under Mishra's name.
In January 2024, police seized property in Lucknow belonging to Mukhtar Ansari's associate Afroz Khan. Allegedly, Khan had accumulated illegal assets under his wife's name; at the time of seizure, the property was valued at around INR 1.45 crore.
The Underworld Unraveled by Arrests
Previously, on December 19, 2023, properties worth INR 7 crore belonging to Sultanpur's Firoz Ahmed alias Jalees were seized. Once a confidant of Munna Bajrangi, Firoz was also implicated in the assassination of BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai.
In a related crackdown, the Lucknow Development Authority acted against Siraj Ahmad, a close empresario of Mukhtar Ansari, at the end of December 2023. The team sealed the FI Hospital and demolished offices and shops built in the basement of the nine-story FI Tower. Furthermore, the seventh and eighth floors of the FI Tower were declared illegal. Subsequently, on December 29, the UP Ghazipur Police seized INR 28 lakh from Sharjeel, Mukhtar's brother-in-law, identifying it as benami money.
Nevertheless, Mukhtar Ansari, who illicitly amassed hundreds of crores' worth of assets, declared his worth to be a mere INR 21.88 crore in his 2017 electoral affidavit. Regarding liabilities, he reported a total of INR 6.91 crore.
