Thu Dec 11 03:18:06 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a summary and rewritten news article based on the provided text:

Summary:

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Prayagraj has attached six immovable properties worth ₹2.03 crore linked to the late Mukhtar Ansari and his associates. The properties are connected to M/s Vikas Construction, which is accused of encroaching on government land to build illegal godowns leased to the Food Corporation of India (FCI), generating illicit income. Shadab Ahmed, a close associate of Ansari, was detained after arriving from Sharjah and is accused of laundering approximately ₹10 crore of the proceeds of crime (POC) through various companies. The ED investigation revealed that M/s Vikas Construction allegedly encroached upon government land in Raini Village, Mau, where an illegal godown was constructed, followed by another unauthorized construction in Ghazipur. These godowns were later leased to the Food Corporation of India (FCI), generating Proceeds of Crime (POC) through rental income and NABARD subsidy, despite the structures being built on encroached government land.

News Article:

Ansari Associate’s Properties Worth ₹2.03 Crore Attached in Money Laundering Probe

Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh – December 11, 2025 – The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has intensified its crackdown on the financial network of the late gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, provisionally attaching six immovable properties valued at ₹2.03 crore. The action stems from an ongoing investigation into M/s Vikas Construction, a Ghazipur-based entity operated by Ansari and his associates, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The attached properties are held in the name of Shadab Ahmed, a close associate of Ansari, and his wife. Ahmed was detained at Lucknow Airport in October 2025 upon arrival from Sharjah, based on an ED-issued Lookout Circular. He is now in judicial custody.

According to an official statement released by the ED, the investigation was initiated following two FIRs related to the alleged encroachment of government land by M/s Vikas Construction in Raini Village, Mau, and Ghazipur. The company is accused of constructing illegal godowns on the encroached land and then leasing them to the Food Corporation of India (FCI), generating illicit income through rental income and NABARD subsidy. The total proceeds of crime (POC) identified thus far amount to approximately ₹27.72 crore.

“During custodial interrogation, it was revealed that he played a significant role in layering and concealing approximately ₹10 crore of POC. As Director and authorized financial operator of M/s Aaghaaz Project and Engineering Pvt. Ltd. and M/s Inizio Network Solution Pvt. Ltd., and as the authorized signatory of their bank accounts, he facilitated the movement of illicit funds generated by M/s Vikas Construction,” the ED statement read.

Investigators believe Ahmed facilitated the laundering of the ill-gotten funds through various companies, disguising them as legitimate business transactions. He had been absconding since 2022, when a search was conducted at his premises. The ED continues to probe the extent of the money laundering operation and the involvement of other individuals.

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