By Divyesh Singh: An investigation wing of the Income Tax department on Thursday attached a property belonging to gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari.
IT sleuths put up a proclamation notice at the property site in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur under “Operation Panther”, being carried out by the Benami Wing of the Lucknow unit of the central department.
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The attached plot of Ghazipur worth over Rs 12 crore was in the name of Ganesh Dutt Mishra, a close aide of Mukhtar Ansari.
Investigations have revealed that Mishra was ‘benamidar’ (fictitious person) in the said property, as it actually belonged to Mukhtar Ansari.
“Most of these properties purchased as Benami are suspected to be proceeds of crime and corruption by Ansari. The process for attachment for all the properties and many other properties has been started,” said a senior official.
Under Operation Panther, income tax officials initiated a major crackdown against Gangster Mukhtar Ansari after the probe agency identified his unaccounted property worth around Rs 100 crore.
Around 23 prime properties were identified by the Lucknow Income Tax department’s (Prohibition of Benami Properties Prevention Act) PBPPA wing.
Mukhtar Ansari, who was lodged in UP’s Banda jail under the Gangster Act, was sentenced by a court in Uttar Pradesh to 10 years in prison in December last year. Almost 60 criminal cases – of land grabbing, murder and extortion – are registered against him.
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