Probe focuses on money exchanger, CA role in Tablighi Jamaat funding (IANS Special)
The role of money exchanger RM & RM Associates was flagged by senior police officers in the case against Tablighi Jamaat. Deputy Commissioner of Police Joy Tirkey has been directed to probe the financial aspects in the case. Senior officers have issued directions to Tirkey to question owners and employees of RM & RM Associates.
“They should be thoroughly questioned about the amount of remittance received from foreign countries by the Tabhlighi Jamaat,” the direction stated.
He was also directed to check whether any money was received by Jamaat delegates from their respective countries. He has also been directed to question a chartered accountant of Tablighi Jamaat about the funding of the organisation and also “foreign contribution”.
The Crime Branch has also been asked to liaise with Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to probe foreign source of funding as foreigners from across 41 nations joined the congregation at Delhi’s Nizamuddin in Mwearch. The sleuths probing the case have been asked to check the declaration made by Tablighi Jamaat under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act.
Delhi Police had registered a case against seven people, including Tablighi Jamaat Markaz chief Mohammad Saad under stringent sections for culpable homicide not amounting to murder. They have also been booked for violation of Epidemic Act and Disaster Management Act on March 31. The case is registered under various sections of the two Acts as well as the Indian Penal Code.
Saad, the organizer of religious event in which thousands of people from India and 41 foreign countries gathered amid the COIVD-19 outbreak, is yet to be questioned as he was in self-quarantine.
On April 16, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) registered a money laundering case against him and the outfit. The ED’s action is based on the FIR lodged by Delhi Police. The Central agency will soon call Maulana Saad to join the probe.
“Inquiries were underway for a while, and after scrutinising the documents, a case under PMLA was registered on Thursday,” said an ED official, adding that The FEMA violations, if any, will become the starting point of ED’s probe in the money laundering case.
Earlier, the MHA had also directed to Commissioner of Police, Delhi Police, to take necessary legal action against all such violators, on priority, under relevant sections of the Foreigners Act, 1946 and Disaster Management Act, 2005.
On April 2, under the directions of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had blacklisted 960 foreigners, present in India on tourist visas, for their involvement in Tablighi Jamaat activities.
A total of around 9,000 people, including 1,306 foreign nationals, had participated at the March congregation of the Tablighi Jamaat. The congregation had sparked off a nationwide search for its attendees with reports emerging from various states of new clusters of coronavirus-affected people linked to the event.
(Sumit Kumar Singh can be reached at sumit.k@ians.in)A
–IANS<br>sk/prs<br>
