New Delhi, February 24 The Enforcement Directorate said on Tuesday that it has filed a chargesheet against Arif Anwar Hashmi, a former Samajwadi Party MLA from Uttar Pradesh, and his wife in a money laundering case linked to alleged illegal encroachment and fraud.
The prosecution complaint, which is equivalent to a chargesheet filed by the ED, was filed on Monday before a special court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in Lucknow, the agency said in a statement.
Hashmi, who served as a Samajwadi Party legislator from the Utraula assembly seat in Balrampur district from 2007 to 2017, and his wife, Rozi Salma, have been named as accused.
The ED's case stems from multiple FIRs and chargesheets filed by the Uttar Pradesh Police against Hashmi and his associates on charges of illegal encroachment, forgery, fraud, and criminal conspiracy.
According to the federal investigation agency, large "unaccounted" cash deposits in the bank accounts of Hashmi and his wife have been noticed, which were "grossly inconsistent" with their reported sources of income.
The couple were "unable" to justify the source of the cash deposits, including the funds used to purchase immovable properties. The accused generated proceeds of crime worth Rs 8.24 crore, it claimed.
The ED attached agricultural lands, flats, and plots worth over Rs 8 crore in Balrampur, Lucknow, and Gonda districts in 2024 as part of this investigation.