Lucknow,

26 Dec (HS): The Enforcement Directorate said on Friday that it has filed a

money laundering case against an Islamic preacher from Uttar Pradesh who is

presently residing in the UK due to alleged extreme affiliations, including

with a Pakistani group, according to sources. The case against Maulana Shamsul

Huda Khan under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) derives from a

FIR filed by the UP Anti-Terrorist Squad, they added. According to the central

investigation agency, Khan was hired as an Assistant Teacher in an Uttar

Pradesh government-funded madrassa in 1984. He is reportedly living abroad

since 2007. He is thought to have obtained British citizenship in 2013, but he

continued to get a salary from 2013 to 2017, despite not being an Indian

citizen or carrying out teaching obligations while living overseas, according

to authorities.

Khan

couldn't be reached for comment. According to the agency, Khan visited to

numerous foreign nations over the previous 20 years and is accused of receiving

payments through seven to eight bank accounts in India. The man, suspected of promoting

extreme ideology and indulging in illicit financial operations under the cover

of religious instruction, is also said to have acquired roughly a dozen

immovable assets worth approximately Rs 30 crore. Khan,

a resident of Azamgarh district, reportedly channeled donations to numerous

madrassas using his NGO Raja Foundation and personal bank accounts, according

to ED authorities.

He

is also accused of establishing two madrassas in Azamgarh and Sant Kabir Nagar,

the registrations for which were later annulled. His affiliations to extremist

groups located in the United Kingdom are being investigated, according to

officials. Officials claim Khan visited Pakistan multiple times and is a member

of the Pakistani extreme organization 'Dawat E Islami'. According to sources,

the ED is conducting an investigation into the accused's fundraising network,

overseas connections, and assets.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi