Maharashtra polls: ED raids at 23 locations after illegal transactions worth Rs 125 crores traced in Malegaon bank

The raids targeted important locations in cities such as Nashik, Surat, Ahmedabad, Malegaon, and Mumbai, with a particular emphasis on detecting hawala transactions and identifying persons involved in illegal banking operations.

On Thursday, 14th November, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids at 23 locations throughout poll-bound Maharashtra and adjacent Gujarat as part of a probe into a money laundering case involving a Malegaon-based businessman. The raids targeted important locations in cities such as Nashik, Surat, Ahmedabad, Malegaon, and Mumbai, with a particular emphasis on detecting hawala transactions and identifying persons involved in illegal banking operations.

As per the initial reports, the ED is looking into the allegations of foreign funding ahead of the state polls.

This comes a week after the Malegaon police charged a ‘businessman’ identified as Siraj Ahmed Harun Meman with misusing 12 people’s bank accounts and conducting transactions worth Rs 90 crore. According to the police, the trader informed the interested parties that he intended to start a corn trading company through the Malegaon agriculture market committee and required various bank accounts. He also assured the villagers that he would help them get jobs if he was helped with the bank accounts to establish the business.

This led them to promptly file a complaint against the trader at the Chhavani police station, where an FIR was lodged under sections 3(5), 316(5), 318 (4)(cheating), 336(3), 340(2) and 338 (forgery) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). As per the FIR copy obtained by OpIndia, the incident came to the fore after one of the account holders checked his account and discovered that crores of rupees had been transacted through his account.

Upon contacting the others, they all visited the bank and learned that transactions totaling Rs 90 crore had been made across the 12 accounts. Concerned that their accounts were being exploited for illegal activities, they filed a complaint of cheating against the trader.

BJP leader Kirit Somaiya meanwhile took cognizance of the incident and wrote to the Election Commission saying that money was being used to practice ‘Vote Jihad’. “It seems hundreds of crore rupees benami transactions have taken place in October 2024. Some money would have been used for the elections, Vote Jihad,” he said in an official complaint.

After investigation, the police confirmed that the accused Ahmed exploited individuals from poor backgrounds and promised them jobs to get their details to open illegal bank accounts. Reports mention that around 2200 transactions had been operated through 14 such bank accounts.

“The total credit amount processed through these accounts was Rs 112 crore, while there were also 315 debit transactions. Investigations are ongoing, and further action will be taken once the full extent of the amount is uncovered,” the ED officials added.

The assembly elections in Maharashtra are just 5 days away. The intensity of the campaigns, vote waves, and ideologies is increasing as the date of voting, 20th November, draws closer. Amid this, it was reported that around 180 ‘NGOs’ are working on the ground to mobilize Muslim votes in the state. The said ‘NGOs’ are working specifically among the Muslim community to raise ‘awareness’ and increase the community’s voter turnout against the BJP, the strategy that helped the MVA led by Congress during the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections.

These NGOs were found distributing leaflets to Muslims in specific localities under the guise of spreading voter awareness. The leaflet posed several questions to Muslim voters, asking whether they would support a party that aims to close madrasas, interfere with Sharia law, or impose a Uniform Civil Code on Muslims, among other issues. These leaflets also encourage Muslims to vote for the Maha Vikas Aghadi, a coalition of Congress, NCP-Sharad Pawar, and Shiv Sena-UBT.

OpIndia had after the Lok Sabha elections concluded in May-June 2024 reported that the Muslims had mobilized in the state of Maharashtra to specifically defeat the BJP. Islamists had issued fatwas, raised Islamic flags in MVA rallies, and urged voters to vote for Shiv Sena (UBT), INC and NCP (Sharad Pawar). This time also several NGOs under the roof of Marathi Muslim Seva Sangh are urging Muslim voters to vote against BJP, practicing ‘vote jihad’, the conspiracy downplayed by leftist Islamists and its supporters.

The 288 legislative assembly seats will go to the polls in a single phase on November 20 while the counting of votes will take place on November 23.