Rana Ayyub Collects Rs 2.77 Crore for Assam Poor, Sought To Siphon Rs 50 Lakhs: ED

As the ED had started a money laundering case against Rana Ayyub, it was found that she collected Rs 2.77 crore through crowd souring platform Ketto and kept them in the accounts of her father and sister.
ED started a money laundering case against Rana Ayyub

ED started a money laundering case against Rana Ayyub

Senior journalist and BJP critic Rana Ayyub collected Rs 2.7 crore through crowd fundng for the slum dwellers of Assam, Bihar and Maharashtra and did not use the fund help the poor but instead kept it in Fixed Deposit and as the investigation started, transferred Rs 75 lakh in PM Cares fund.

As the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had started a money laundering case against Rana Ayyub, it was found that she collected Rs 2.77 crore through crowdsourcing platform Ketto and kept them in the accounts of her father and sister.

Without using them properly, she kept Rs 50 lakhs at FD while in an attempt scrutiny deposited Rs 74.5 lakh to PM Cares fund and CM Releif Fund.

According to ED, it was a money laundering attempt. However, Ayyub said that she could not utilise the money as most of the planned associated stayed away from her fearing backlash from the authorities.

So at the suggestion of the bank manager she kept it in the FD while waiting for viable project. The Bank Manager however denied giving any such suggestion.

The agency suspects the journalist salted away the amount for her personal expenses.

The ED, which began a probe based on an FIR by the Uttar Pradesh Police, had summoned Rana Ayyub on December 15, 2021, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) as part of the probe.

Appearing before ED, Rana Ayyub had claimed that the money in the FD account “was earmarked for hospital but since the NGOs and elected members they were reaching out to developed cold feet due to existing government intimidation against her, it could not be done."

The FD account was opened on May 19, 2020 as the world struggled with a pandemic that led to a global lockdown.

Meanwhile the senior journalist and vociferous critic of the central government, Rana Ayyub transferred the amount to the PM CARES and CM Relief funds 20 days after the ED and the Income Tax began their investigations into her finances, read the ED document.

The ED, which launched an investigation against the journalist based on an FIR by the Uttar Pradesh Police, had summoned Rana Ayyub on December 15, 2021, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) as part of the probe.

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