The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids at multiple premises in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, in connection to a money laundering case against Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Mukhtar Ansari, on Thursday, 18 August.
The searches, aimed at gathering evidence against Ansari, are being conducted at locations in Ghazipur, Lucknow, and Delhi, which are allegedly linked to him, and his associates.
At least 11 locations have been searched till now, reports news agency ANI.
The mafia-turned-politician is being investigated under criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and is under the ED scanner in connection with at least 49 criminal cases against him, including charges of land-grabbing, extortion, and murder.
A five-time former MLA, Ansari is currently lodged in jail at Uttar Pradesh’s Banda and faces trial in several cases as well, including those of murder and attempt to murder.
The police claimed that last week, the Ghazipur district administration seized two plots of land, valued at over Rs 6 crore, that were purchased using Ansari’s alleged illegal earnings.
The probe agency is also conducting raids against Mukhtar Ansari's brother, Afzal Ansari.
In July, assets worth Rs 14.9 crore were seized from Afzal by the UP Police under the Gangster Act.
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