Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached Rs 1.77 crore of journalist Rana Ayyub in money laundering case. Allegedly it belongs to a charity fund scandal.
The scandal allegedly pertains to three campaigns started by Ayyub – Funds for slum dwellers and farmers (April- May 2020), Relief work for Assam, Bihar and Maharashtra (June- Sept 2020), and Help for Covid-19 impacted people in India (May-June 2021) – from which the journalist via the crowdfunding portal ‘Ketto.org’ is said to have raised crores of Rupees.
According to the provisional attachment order, an FIR was registered by the Indirapuram police station in Ghaziabad against Rana Ayyub for commission of offences under Sections of the IPC, Information Technology Amendment Act and Black Money act alleging that she “illegally acquired money from general public in the name of charity.” The FIR was registered on the basis of a complaint dated 28.08.2021 by a resident of Ghaziabad.
As per the provisional order “Funds totalling to Rs. 2,69,44,680/-were raised on Ketto by Rana Ayyub. These funds were withdrawn in the bank accounts of her sister/father. Out of this amount, Rs.72,01,786/- was withdrawn in her own bank account , Rs. 37,15,072/- was withdrawn in her sister Iffat Shaikh’s account and Rs 1,60,27,822/- was withdrawn in her father Mohd Ayyub Waquif’s bank account. All these funds from her sister’s and father’s account were subsequently transferred in her own account.”
It continues, “Rana Ayyub submitted information/documents of expense to the tune of Rs. 31,16,770/-,however after verification of the claimed expenses, it surfaced that the actual expenses to the tune of Rs. 17,66,970/-. Fake bills were found to have been prepared by Ms. Rana Ayyub in the name of some entities to claim expenses on relief work. Expenses made for personal travel by air were claimed as expense for relief work.”
The ED’s order then says, “Investigations conducted by Directorate of Enforcement make it abundantly clear that the funds were raised in the name of charity in a completely pre-planned and systematic manner and the funds were not utilized completely for the purpose of which the funds were raised.”
“Investigations disclose that instead of utilizing the funds for the relief work, Ms. Rana Ayyub parked some of the funds by opening a separate current bank account. Ms. Rana Ayyub also created a Fixed Deposit of Rs. 50 Lakh from the funds raised on Ktto and subsequently did not utilize these for relief works. She deposited a total of Rs 74.50 lakhs in PM Cares fund and CM Relief Fund.”
“Accordingly, at the stage of investigation, the proceeds of crime are quantified as Rs.1,77,27,704/- and the interest generated upon the said FD of Rs. 50 Lakh.”
