₹95 Crore Foreign Funding Nexus Uncovered, Maoist And Conversion Links Under ED Lens

The Enforcement Directorate has exposed a sprawling foreign funding network that appears to have operated through clandestine cash withdrawals across India, reported NDTV.

The investigation, linked to “The Timothy Initiative (TTI)”, has raised serious concerns about the possible use of foreign money in Maoist-affected regions and, more controversially, for alleged religious conversions.

Acting on intelligence inputs, the ED headquarters carried out coordinated search operations across six locations in multiple states, uncovering what officials describe as a meticulously designed system to bypass India’s financial regulations.

Investigators seized 25 foreign bank debit cards, primarily linked to a US-based bank, along with ₹40 lakh in cash, digital devices, and incriminating documents. The scale of the operation has stunned agencies, with nearly ₹95 crore suspected to have been funnelled into India between November 2025 and April 2026 using this method.

A significant portion of these withdrawals has been traced to Left Wing Extremism-affected regions, particularly Bastar in Chhattisgarh, where over ₹6.5 crore was withdrawn in recent years. The pattern of withdrawals across states points to what officials describe as a “parallel cash economy” operating under the radar.

Sources within the probe have flagged deeper concerns that the withdrawn funds were allegedly used to finance activities of TTI India, an organisation not registered under FCRA norms. This has raised red flags about the legality of its operations, with investigators examining whether the funds were used to influence vulnerable populations in conflict zones, including possible religious conversion activities. 

The case has quickly escalated into a political flashpoint, with BJP spokesperson Anurag Agarwal launching a sharp attack on the Congress.

He stated that the ED had exposed a major nexus of illegal conversions funded through foreign money, accusing Congress of repeatedly undermining investigative agencies to shield such activities.

The ED has also uncovered that an online billing and accounting platform, allegedly controlled from overseas, was being used to systematically record ATM withdrawals and track utilisation of funds. This suggests a highly organised and monitored operation rather than isolated financial misconduct.

Adding to the intrigue, one key accused, Micah Mark, was intercepted at Bengaluru airport against a lookout circular while allegedly bringing these foreign debit cards into India.

Officials believe he could be a crucial link between overseas handlers and ground-level operatives, making him central to unravelling the network’s full scope.

NDTV

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ED Raids Over 40 Sites In Maharashtra In ISIS-Linked Module, Seizes ₹9.7 Crores

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) launched extensive search operations on 11 December across more than 40 locations in Maharashtra and several other states, targeting a money laundering investigation tied to an ISIS-affiliated module based in Padgha.

These raids, spearheaded by the ED's Mumbai Zonal Office under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, focused on Saquib Nachan and other suspects. The operations spanned key areas such as the Padgha-Borivali region near Mumbai, alongside Delhi, Kolkata, Hazaribagh, Prayagraj, Daman, and Ratnagiri.

During the searches, the ED seized movable assets valued at approximately 9.7 crore. This haul included around Rs 3.7 crore in cash, as well as gold jewellery and bullion worth about Rs 6 crore. In parallel, the agency froze 25 bank accounts connected to the accused and other suspects, disrupting potential financial channels.

Investigators also recovered incriminating documents, radicalisation-promoting literature, digital devices, and records pertaining to immovable properties owned by the suspects. These findings underscore the depth of the probe into the module's operations.

The ED's investigation stems from FIRs and charge sheets filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). These documents invoke provisions of the Indian Penal Code, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, and the Explosive Substances Act, highlighting the gravity of the terror-related charges.

Probing deeper, the ED uncovered a highly radicalised ISIS-linked network active in recruitment, training, weapon and explosives procurement, and fundraising to fuel terrorist activities. Intelligence from the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) pointed to additional illegal revenue streams sustaining these efforts.

Suspects were implicated in the clandestine cutting, smuggling, and sale of Khair (Kaith) wood, with proceeds allegedly channelled towards extremist operations. Financial trails, traced through bank account analyses, linked multiple individuals to the accused, revealing a web of monetary transactions.

In response to these leads, the ED extended searches to premises of the accused, their close associates, family members, and entities exhibiting suspicious financial ties. This approach aimed to dismantle the broader support structure.

Hawala operations emerged as a key concern during the investigation, with evidence suggesting their role in funnelling illicit funds. Further scrutiny exposed the Padgha-Borivali module's involvement in illegally harvesting Kaith trees from reserve forest areas in the region.

To map the supply chain, the ED targeted companies and entities engaged in Kattha production that sourced Kaith wood from the suspects. Searches at these sites yielded suspected illegally obtained Kaith wood, prompting notifications to the relevant Forest Department authorities for immediate action.

The raids represent a significant escalation in counter-terrorism financing efforts, addressing not only direct terror linkages but also ancillary illegal activities like forest smuggling. By seizing assets and freezing accounts, the ED has curtailed the module's operational capacity.

Ongoing analysis of seized materials promises further revelations about the network's reach and methods. The involvement of multiple states indicates a geographically dispersed threat, demanding coordinated inter-agency vigilance.

This operation reaffirms the ED's pivotal role in probing terror financing, blending financial intelligence with national security imperatives. As the investigation progresses, additional arrests and asset attachments appear likely, bolstering India's defences against radicalisation and extremism.

Agencies

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ED Busts Multinational Terror Funding Network Linked To PFI & SDPI

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has executed a major crackdown on a sophisticated multinational terror funding network linked to the Popular Front of India (PFI) and its political arm, the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI).

Following an extensive investigation, the ED uncovered that this network orchestrated the movement of over ₹62 crore through a shadow economy, employing fraudulent financial practices, fake trusts, underground hawala channels, and a dedicated chain of operatives to finance terrorist training, communal unrest, and radicalisation activities across India.

At the core of this conspiracy is MK Faizy, the National President of SDPI and a member of PFI’s National Executive Council, identified by the ED as the mastermind behind the financial operations. 

Faizy allegedly mobilised funds both domestically and internationally, with significant contributions originating from Gulf nations such as Qatar and the UAE. He personally managed illicit funds, including ₹15.4 lakh routed through HDFC Bank accounts disguised as legitimate political income, which were then redirected to finance violent riots, murder plots, and radical training camps.

The financial web extended through key associates such as Wahidur Rahman, who managed field operations and cash channels, and Rauf Sherif, head of the Campus Front of India (CFI), who played a pivotal role in channelling foreign funds via operatives like Shafeeque Payeth based in Doha. Other figures, including Ashraf MK and Abdul Razak, were instrumental in laundering illicit funds into real estate, while SDPI’s state units acted as regional storage and laundering points.

The investigation also exposed the direct involvement of SDPI operatives Rasheed and Kunju in executing violent, radical activities funded by these illicit channels. The ED’s probe revealed that SDPI, registered as a political party, functioned as a front for PFI, allowing the banned outfit to continue its anti-national operations under the guise of political and social activism.

Documentary evidence confirmed fund transfers from PFI to SDPI, with proceeds of crime identified in multiple states and across numerous bank accounts.

In response, the ED has taken decisive action by freezing accounts, seizing properties worth over ₹61 crore, and arresting key leaders, including Faizy and Wahidur Rahman. The agency has conducted nationwide searches at SDPI and PFI-linked premises and is preparing to share its findings with the Election Commission of India, potentially seeking a ban on SDPI. The investigation is ongoing, with further arrests and seizures expected. The ED is also considering international cooperation to pursue operatives based in foreign territories, especially in the Gulf, which have emerged as critical nodes in this illicit funding network.

This case highlights the existence of a well-organized, transnational conspiracy leveraging political and civil liberties infrastructure to fund terrorism, radicalisation, and destabilising activities within India, underlining the ED’s commitment to dismantling such networks.

Based On A News18 Report

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Enforcement Directorate (ED) Formally Arrests Hurriyat Leader, Two Others In Money Laundering Case

Hurriyat leader Mohammad Akbar Bhat and Fatima Shah of Srinagar and Sabzzar Ahmad Sheikh of Anantnag are already in jail after their arrest more than five years ago by the Jammu and Kashmir Police's State Investigation Agency (SIA) in a terror funding case.

The accused have been remanded to the ED's custody till February 20 by the court of Special Judge Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBI-Cases), Kashmir, Srinagar.

Srinagar: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has formally arrested three people, including a Hurriyat leader, in a money laundering case for their alleged involvement in selling MBBS seats in Pakistan and funding terror activities in Jammu and Kashmir, an official said on Wednesday.

Hurriyat leader Mohammad Akbar Bhat and Fatima Shah of Srinagar and Sabzzar Ahmad Sheikh of Anantnag are already in jail after their arrest more than five years ago by the Jammu and Kashmir Police's State Investigation Agency (SIA) in a terror funding case.

Bhat, Shah and Sheikh were arrested on Tuesday under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) provisions for their involvement in terror financing and being hand in glove with Pakistani handlers Manzoor Ahmad Shah and Altaf Ahmad Bhat, who arranged admissions in MBBS and other courses in colleges in Pakistan for students from Jammu and Kashmir, a spokesperson of the ED said.

The official said the accused have been remanded to the ED's custody till February 20 by the court of Special Judge Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBI-Cases), Kashmir, Srinagar.

In May 2022, the special NIA court in Srinagar had framed charges against Bhat, who is the chairman of the Hurriyat conference 'Salvation Movement', and seven others for selling Pakistani MBBS seats to fund terror activities.

The SIA had on July 27, 2020, registered the case against the "unscrupulous persons" who were hand in glove with some educational consultancies for arranging admission of residents of Jammu and Kashmir in MBBS and other professional courses in colleges, institutions and universities in Pakistan.

"The ED had initiated the money laundering investigation on the basis of the FIR registered by the J-K Police for offences under various sections of the Unlawful Activity (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against Bhat, Shah, Sheikh, Qazi Yasir, Syed Khalid Geelani alias 'Khalid Andrabi' and others involved in terrorist activity in Jammu and Kashmir," the spokesperson said.

The ED said the arrested persons had received money in their personal accounts and in the bank accounts of the "Al-Jabar Trust".

The "Al-Jabar Trust", the agency said was a charitable trust but it was being used for receiving funds from students, which were further being ploughed into terrorist activities in India in various ways such as giving money to stone pelters, providing money to persons or terrorists based in J&K, according to the instructions of the Pakistani handlers.

Earlier, the ED had provisionally attached properties worth ₹5 crore under the provisions of the PMLA in the form of various bank accounts and immovable properties.

This report is auto-generated from a syndicated feed

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Enforcement Directorate (ED) Files Chargesheet Against Hizbul Terrorists In Terror Financing Case

Abbas Sheikh and Tauseef Ahmad Sheikh were killed in an encounter with security forces

The ED case of money laundering stems from a July 2015 Jammu and Kashmir Police (Kulgam district) first-information report (FIR) against Mudasir Ahmad Sheikh, Mushtaq Ahmad Kambay, Mohd Iqbal Khan, Mohd Abbas Sheikh and Tauseef Ahmad Sheikh

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday said it has filed a money laundering chargesheet in connection with a terror financing case in Kashmir and has named some Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists in the complaint.

The chargesheet was filed before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Srinagar on January 25, the federal agency said in a statement. The accused named in it include Mudasir Ahmad Sheikh, Mushtaq Ahmad Kambay and Mohammed Iqbal Khan, it said. The court has taken cognisance of the chargesheet and issued notice to the accused for initiation of trial, the statement said.

The ED case of money laundering stems from a July 2015 Jammu and Kashmir Police (Kulgam district) first-information report (FIR) against Mudasir Ahmad Sheikh, Mushtaq Ahmad Kambay, Mohd Iqbal Khan, Mohd Abbas Sheikh and Tauseef Ahmad Sheikh.

The FIR was registered under the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

Abbas Sheikh and Tauseef Ahmad Sheikh were killed in an encounter with security forces.

The accused were “raising funds for terrorist activities in the Valley on the directions of terrorist outfit Hizbul Mujahideen, and thus, generated huge proceeds of crime”. A part of the proceeds of crime generated by the accused were found in the form of 33 gold coins and ₹17.5 lakh cash, which was to be used in terrorist activities, it said.

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MBBS In Pak Scam; ED Attaches Properties Worth ₹5 Crores In Kashmir

Srinagar: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached properties worth ₹5 crores across the Kashmir Valley as the first direct action in connection with a case pertaining to the alleged selling of medical seats in various institutions in Pakistan to aspiring students back home for personal benefits and alleged terror funding.

The ED officials said that these properties including seven immovable houses and other structures and two bank accounts in the name of various accused including Muhammad Akbar Bhat alias Zaffar Akbar Bhat, Fatima Shah, Qazi Yasir, Muhammad Abdullah Shah and Muhammad Iqbal Mir have been attached under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

The ED had initiated an investigation into the case based on an FIR registered and a charge sheet issued by a counter-intelligence agency of the Jammu and Kashmir police for the offenses under various sections of the Unlawful Activity (Prevention) Act, 1967 and the Indian Penal code against Bhat and others.

The ED had in March last year conducted searches in the residential houses and other premises of second-rung separatist leaders Bhat in Srinagar’s Bagh-e-Mehtab area and Qazi Yasir in Anantnag town. Bhat is the chairman of J&K Salvation Movement whereas Yasir heads J&K Ummat-e-Islami, a religio-political organisation based in southern Anantnag. The house of one Syed Khalid Geelani alias Khalid Andrabi in Srinagar’s Baghat area was also searched.

Bhat and three other persons Fatima Shah, a resident of Palhalan, Pattan (Baramulla district), Mohammad Abdullah Shah from north-western Kupwara district, and Sabzar Ahmad Sheikh, a resident of Nowgam, Shangus (Anantnag district) were arrested by the Counter-Intelligence Kashmir (CIK) wing of the J&K police in August 2021 on charges of being involved in the “racket”. The other accused are Altaf Ahmed Bhat and Manzoor Ahmed Shah who had migrated to Pakistan in the early 1990s and are presently living in Bahria Town (Karachi) and Gulmohar Colony (Rawalpindi), respectively. Altaf Bhat is a brother of Zaffar Akbar Bhat and Manzoor Shah of Muhammad Abdullah Shah.

Under various schemes of the Pakistan government, scholarships are offered for MBBS and engineering seats to J&K students –mainly the wards of “victims of violence”. Also, six percent of medical seats are reserved for students of J&K in PoJK medical colleges.

On average, about two dozen students from J&K were granted admissions to these colleges annually until the University Grants Commission (UGC) issued an advisory in May 2019, asking students from the erstwhile state not to seek admissions in professional colleges and other educational institutions in PoK, asserting the territory is an integral part of India and educational institutions there have neither been established by Government of India nor are these recognised by it or the country’s other statutory authorities such as All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and Medical Council of India (MCI).

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had earlier in its chargesheet on alleged terror funding in J&K filed in a court in January 2018 claimed that Pakistan is offering scholarships to Kashmiri students “in order to prepare a generation of doctors and technocrats in Kashmir who will have leanings towards Pakistan”.

The Counter-Intelligence Kashmir (CIK) had alleged that some of these seats were being “sold” to aspiring students against huge sums of money which would be used for personal benefit and partly for terror funding.

The CIK had also said that it had registered a case in this connection in May 2020 after receiving reports that MBBS seats and admissions in other professional courses in the neighbouring country were being “sold” to Kashmiri students by leaders of Hurriyat Conference and other separatist parties in lieu of huge sums of money, the part of which was being diverted to the promotion of militancy in J&K.

The CIK had claimed that after they crossed to the other side of the Line of Control (LoC) to receive arms training, the duo “played a key role on behalf of ISI (Pakistan’s Inter-Services-Intelligence) in facilitating matters pertaining to admissions under this category for this set of Hurriyat linked persons on Indian side" and were "part of the nefarious design of pumping money into the militancy and other terrorist-related activities".

It had also alleged that while staying in Pakistan they were “a part of the inward and outward supply chains at one stage or the other and where credible evidence could be collected and brought on record.” It had added that the two more persons against whom "there is ample evidence are evading arrest but both of them will be arrested soon.”

The police had claimed that the investigation also revealed that on average the cost of a seat ranged between Rs 10 and 12 lakhs. “In some cases, the price was brought down on sifarish (recommendation) of Hurriyat leaders. In other words, depending upon the political heft of a Hurriyat leader who intervened, concessions were extended to the aspiring student and his family,” it had said.

The CIK investigations had “revealed” that the money was received in the personal bank accounts of the accused and also that of the Al-Jabar Trust which had been set up for charitable purposes. “However, these accounts were used to receive funds from the students and further ploughed into the terrorist activities in India in various ways such as distributing money to stone pelters, providing money to the persons/terrorists based in J&K on the instructions of Pakistan handlers such as Manzoor Ahmad Shah and Altaf Ahmad Bhat,” it had said.

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Delhi HC Grants Time To Vivo Officials To Respond To ED Plea Against Release In Money Laundering Case

Additional Solicitor General argued that the trial court order was "totally perverse" and the matter required urgent adjudication, whereas the counsel for the accused sought time to file their case

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday granted three vivo-India executives one week to file their reply to a plea by the Enforcement Directorate challenging an order for their release in a money laundering case.

While Additional Solicitor General S V Raju argued that the trial court order was "totally perverse" and the matter required urgent adjudication, the counsel for the accused sought time to file their response.

Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma listed the matter for further hearing on January 11 and said, "They will need to file a reply. I can't deny them".

"The court grants time of one week to respondents to file a reply," the court ordered.

ASG Raju argued one of the respondents, a Chinese national, was a flight risk.

The counsel for the accused said they had already surrendered their passports.

Justice Sharma also indicated she would, when she passes a written order, direct the accused to appear before the ED on Fridays and Mondays.

On Tuesday, a vacation bench of Justice Tushar Rao Gedela had issued notice on the anti-money laundering agency's plea challenging the trial court order of December 30 while noting that since the executives have already been released, no ex parte interim order could be passed at this stage.

On December 30, the trial court had directed the release of three vivo-India executives-- Chinese national and interim CEO of vivo-India Hong Xuquan alias Terry, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Harinder Dahiya and consultant Hemant Munjal, observing that the accused were not produced before the court within 24 hours of the arrest and so their "custody was illegal".

The three accused had moved the local court seeking bail and claimed they were arrested on December 21 and not December 22, as recorded by the ED, and since they were not produced before a court within 24 hours of their arrest, their arrest was "illegal and not sustainable in law".

The ED counsel had, however, contested the claim, saying after the three were "formally arrested, they were supplied with grounds of arrest and produced before the concerned court within 24 hours from arrest."

The agency has said the premises of the three accused were searched on December 21 and they were subsequently taken to the ED office for questioning and for a forensic analysis of their phones.

They were formally arrested the next day on December 22, the ED told the court.

The ED raided vivo-India offices and the premises of those linked to it in July last year and claimed to have busted a major money laundering racket involving Chinese nationals and multiple Indian companies.

It had then alleged that Rs 62,476 crore was "illegally" transferred by vivo-India to China to avoid payment of taxes in India.

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Enforcement Directorate Files First Charge Sheet Against Chinese Smartphone Maker Vivo-India, Others

The agency had raided vivo-India and its linked persons in July last year, claiming to have busted a major money laundering racket involving Chinese nationals and multiple Indian companies

NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate filed its first charge sheet in connection with its money laundering probe against Chinese smartphone maker vivo and some others, official sources said on Thursday.

The prosecution complaint has been filed before a special court here on Wednesday under the criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and vivo-India has been named an accused apart from those arrested in this case, the sources told PTI.

The federal probe agency arrested four persons, including the MD of the Lava International mobile company Hari Om Rai, in this investigation. The others who were taken into custody were Chinese national Guangwen alias Andrew Kuang, Chartered Accountants Nitin Garg and Rajan Malik.

The ED had then claimed in its remand papers before a local court here that the alleged activities of the four enabled vivo-India to make wrongful gains that were detrimental to the economic sovereignty of India.

It had raided vivo-India and its linked persons in July last year, claiming to have busted a major money laundering racket involving Chinese nationals and multiple Indian companies.

The ED had then alleged that a whopping Rs 62,476 crore was "illegally" transferred by Vivo-India to China to avoid payment of taxes in India.

The company had said that it "firmly adheres to its ethical principles and remains dedicated to legal compliance."

Rai had recently told a court here that though his company and vivo-India were in talks to launch a joint venture in India a decade ago, he had nothing to do with the Chinese firm or its representatives since 2014.

"He has not derived any monetary benefit, nor has he engaged in any transaction with vivo or any entity allegedly related to vivo, let alone having been associated with any alleged 'proceeds of crime'," Rai's lawyer told the court.

The agency filed an enforcement case information report (ECIR), the ED equivalent of a police FIR, on February 3 after studying a Delhi Police FIR of December last year against an associated company of vivo, Grand Prospect International Communication Pvt Ltd (GPICPL), its directors, shareholders and some others professionals.

The police complaint was filed by the Corporate Affairs Ministry alleging that GPICPL and its shareholders used "forged" identification documents and "falsified" addresses at the time of incorporation of the company in December 2014.

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UK Court Orders Fugitive Sanjay Bhandari’s Extradition

During the proceedings against Sanjay Bhandari, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) of the UK, which has successfully argued India’s cases, stated that the businessman’s conduct amounts to “fraud by false representation” in British jurisdiction

A UK court has ordered the extradition of fugitive arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari to India, the third high-profile extradition case India has won in the UK, after Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi.

While ordering Bhandari’s extradition and sending the reference to the UK home secretary, the district judge Michael Snow at the Westminster’s Magistrates’ Court in London, said : “As I am satisfied that extradition is compatible with the defendant’s Convention rights, I must send this case to the Secretary of State [Suella Braverman] for a decision as to whether the defendant is to be extradited”.

“However, I only do so on the basis of the assurances that have been provided by the (Indian) government,” the judge said. The Indian government assured the court that Bhandari will be held in a separate cell at Tihar Jail in New Delhi with adequate access to health care while he faces trial in India.

To be sure, Bhandari has the option to challenge the magistrate court’s decision in the UK high court.

“It’s a big development. Sanjay Bhandari is undoubtedly one of the most wanted fugitives who are wanted for multiple violations. Indian agencies have provided robust evidence related to the financial irregularities, which has been appreciated by the UK courts in back-to-back extraditions of Mallya, Modi and now Bhandari,” said an officer, who didn’t want to be named.

Mallya’s extradition was cleared by the UK high court in April 2020 but has since been held up because he has applied for asylum. A Westminster court ordered Modi’s extradition in February 2021, which he has challenged in the UK high court.

During the proceedings against Bhandari, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) of the UK, which has successfully argued India’s cases, stated that the businessman’s conduct amounts to “fraud by false representation” in British jurisdiction. The charges were described by Bhandari’s legal team as “political witch-hunt” and “baseless”.

Bhandari, 60, is under investigation by multiple agencies , including the Enforcement Directorate, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Income Tax department and Delhi Police for money laundering , violation of the foreign exchange act , the black money act, and the official secrets act for having access to sensitive defence documents.

He fled to the UK via Nepal in December 2016.

The Indian government sent two extradition requests against the fugitive businessman which were certified by the then UK home secretary Priti Patel in June 2020, after which British authorities arrested him on July 15, 2020. He is out on bail.

The arms dealer is also under investigation since 2019 by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on charges of corruption in a ₹2,985-crore deal in 2009 to procure 75 PC-7 trainer aircraft from Swiss plane maker Pilatus Aircraft.

He is also under the scanner for allegedly laundering money related to property transactions allegedly linked to former Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra in London, in which a NRI businessman C C Thampi was arrested by the ED in January 2020.

Vadra, who was questioned by the ED in May 2019, has repeatedly denied all the allegations against him. He told HT in January 2020: “It’s a free for all in this country…truth has no place. Witch-hunt continues for almost a decade. Another decade more and we will be referring to what happened in 2010, 2011, 2012 and on and on.”

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had claimed in its charge sheet filed against Bhandari on June 1, 2020 that the fugitive, after fleeing to the UK in 2016, met certain people in London and tried to alienate (or transfer ownership of) his foreign assets and companies by creating backdated documents in the name of a trust based in the UAE.

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106 PFI Members Arrested In NIA, ED Raids Across 11 States

New Delhi: A total of 106 Popular Front of India (PFI) cadres were arrested on Thursday in a joint operation conducted by the National Investigation Agency, Enforcement Directorate and state police forces across 11 states in the country's multiple locations, sources said on Thursday.

Among the states where the raids were conducted include Andhra Pradesh (5), Assam (9), Delhi (3), Karnataka (20), Kerala (22), Madhya Pradesh (4), Maharashtra (20), Puducherry (3), Rajasthan (2), Tamil Nadu (10) and Uttar Pradesh (8).

The searches were conducted at multiple locations in the largest ever investigation process till date. The operation started late in the night around 1 am and learnt to be concluded by 5 am involving over 1,500 personnel of state police, Central Armed Police Forces and officers of NIA and ED.

Several incriminating documents, more than 100 bile phones, laptops and other materials have been seized by the raiding teams.

These searches were conducted at the residential and official premises of persons involved in "funding terrorism, organising training camps and radicalising people to join proscribed organisations".

"In a major action across 10 states, NIA, ED and state police have arrested more than 100 cadres of PFI," sources told ANI earlier today.

Meanwhile, more than 50 members of the PFI protested against the raids outside the party office in the Dindigul district earlier today.

The PFI and SDPI workers staged a protest in Karnataka's Mangaluru against the raids, following which they were detained by the state police.

PFI workers sat on the road in protest against the NIA raid at the party office in Chennai.

NIA earlier this month also raided 40 places in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh in a PFI case and detained four persons.

The agency had then conducted searches at 38 locations in Telangana (23 in Nizamabad, four in Hyderabad, seven in Jagityal, two in Nirmal, one each in Adilabad and Karimnagar districts) and at two locations in Andhra Pradesh (one each in Kurnool and Nellore districts) in the case relating to Abdul Khader of Nizamabad district in Telangana and 26 other persons.

In the operation, NIA had seized incriminating materials, including digital devices, documents, two daggers and Rs 8,31,500 cash.

As per NIA, the accused were "organizing camps for imparting training to commit terrorist acts and to promote enmity between different groups on the basis of religion".

The PFI was launched in Kerala in 2006 after merging three Muslim organizations floated after the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992 - the National Development Front of Kerala, Karnataka Forum for Dignity and Manitha Neethi Pasari of Tamil Nadu. After the demolition of the Babri mosque, many fringe outfits had surfaced in south India and PFI was formed after merging some of them.

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Chinese Officials Linked To Phone Maker Vivo Fled India: Sources

Vivo and related companies were searched by the Enforcement Directorate

Two directors of a firm connected to Chinese phone maker Vivo are suspected to have fled India, sources have told India Today TV. Both are Chinese nationals, they said.

The accused Zhenshenou and Zhang Jie - two of the three directors of Grand Prospects International Communications Private Limited, allegedly misrepresented their identity on documents, they added.

This comes a day after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided multiple locations across the country linked directly and indirectly to Vivo and its related companies. Over 30 locations were searched. The agency, during searches, found the top officials of the firms to be missing.

Earlier, the financial probe agency had seized the assets of another Chinese smartphone giant, Xiaomi, under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). The agency seized Rs 5,551.27 crore of Xiaomi India under the provisions of the Act. Xiaomi India is a wholly owned subsidiary of the China-based Xiaomi group.

The ED had initiated an investigation in connection with the illegal remittances made by Xiaomi in February this year.

Chinese mobile phone companies have been under the scanner of Income Tax and the ED. According to the probe agency, Xiaomi started its operations in India in 2014 and began remitting the money from 2015.

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Enforcement Directorate (ED) Raids 44 Locations of VIVO Group In Money Laundering Case

China on Wednesday expressed hope that the India will abide by laws as they carry out investigation and enforcement activities Chinese company Vivo.

Chinese mobile manufacturing company Vivo is in trouble after Enforcement Directorate (ED) launched a money laundering case against the company. ED has raided premises and related firm of Vivo company in 44 locations in 22 states on Tuesday and Wednesday. China has responded saying they hope for a fair probe.

China on Wednesday expressed hope that the India will abide by laws as they carry out investigation and enforcement activities. They also hoped that India will provide a truly fair, just and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese companies investing and operating here.

Meanwhile, some reports suggest that Vivo's directors Zhengshen Ou and Zhang Jie have fled the country after seeing the ED tightening the noose into the money laundering case against the Chinese firm. News agency ANI quoted sources as saying that seeing the growing troubles of the company, both the directors have fled for fear of investigation.

According to the information received, the ED suspects money laundering of millions of rupees, due to which this action is being taken. On Tuesday and Wednesday, 44 locations were raided across the country including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Meghalaya, Maharashtra. However, the directors of the company were not seen during this entire operation. Due to this, the ED suspects that both have fled the country.

Let us tell you that the CBI is already investigating this case. In India, along with the IT department, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) is also keeping a close watch on Chinese manufacturing firms. The raids by the ED are an extension of the ongoing investigation against Chinese firms.

Local units of Vivo Mobile Communications are on the radar for alleged financial irregularities as part of investigations into other Chinese firms. In April, the ED seized Rs 5,551.27 crore of Xiaomi Technology India Private Ltd lying in the bank accounts under the provisions of Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) connection with the illegal outward remittances made by the company.

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ED Quizzes Omar Abdullah; NC Calls It Centre's ‘Vicious Vilification Campaign’

Abdullah had appeared before the investigators at around 11 am at ED's headquarters. The leader was earlier summoned by the ED and asked to visit its office on Thursday. The officials seem to be taking statement of Abdullah, who has been accused of opening several accounts in the Jammu and Kashmir Bank, through close aides, like Ahsan Mirza, who was authorised to sign cheques, an ANI report said

Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and Vice President of National Conference Omar Abdullah has been questioned by Enforcement Directorate (ED) in New Delhi on Thursday. According to a source in the ED, the questioning was done in a case related to Jammu and Kashmir Bank.

The National Conference has called it ‘vicious vilification campaign’. NC has said that central government has made a habit of misusing investigative agencies.

Abdullah appeared before the investigators of the agency at around 11 am at its headquarters. The leader was earlier summoned by the agency. He was asked to visit its office on Thursday.

“The central government has made a habit of misusing investigative agencies, and this is another step in the same direction. No political party that puts up meaningful opposition to the BJP has been spared, whether it is the ED, CBI, NIA, NCB - all have been used for political purposes,” said National conference in a statement.

The National conference said that Omar Abdullah despite Ramzan and Delhi not being his place of residence, didn’t postpone the date of questioning and went ahead with it. They have said that elections might take place in Jammu Kashmir this year, and due to this, BJP is using agencies to target other party leaders.

“There was a time when elections were announced by the EC but now it seems that elections are announced by the ED. Over recent years, we have seen that wherever state elections are due, agencies like the ED move in and target those parties who pose a challenge to the BJP. This summons to our Vice President is in the same vein. We have no doubt that this fishing expedition will yield no concrete results to the BJP and the people will give a ringing endorsement to the national conference as and when required,” said National Conference.

The ED hasn’t given out any further details about the case Omar was questioned for.

The officials seem to be taking statement of Abdullah, who has been accused of opening several accounts in the Jammu and Kashmir Bank, through close aides, like Ahsan Mirza, who was authorised to sign cheques, an ANI report said.

Mirza, was also appointed "treasurer" of JK Cricket Association (JKCA) by Abdullah when he was president even when Mirza was not an elected office-bearer.

Parallel accounts of the association were also opened in connivance with a senior executive of the bank, sources claimed.

In July 2019, the ED had also questioned Abdullah on the statements of Mirza and other associates, who were earlier questioned by the agency.

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ED Denies Nawab Malik's Son Faraz Malik's Request For More Time To Submit Documents In Dawood Ibrahim Money Laundering Case

ED denies Faraz Malik's requests for week's time to submit related documents in money laundering case.

After the summons sent by the Enforcement Directorate, Faraz Malik's lawyer requested a week's time to submit the related documents to the investigative agency. However, ED denied the request.

Faraz Malik, son of Nationalist Congress Party leader and minister Nawab Malik, was summoned by the ED in connection with Dawood Ibrahim money laundering case. Faraz sought seven days' time to appear before the agency.

Faraz is the director of the firm that had bought property from gangster Dawood Ibrahim's aide Sardar Shahvali Khan.

According to sources, Faraz had sent communication to the ED through a lawyer but the agency officials did not accept the letter.

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I-T Department Conducts Searches On China's Huawei Over Tax Evasion Investigation

Sources said the officials looked at financial documents, account books and company records as part of a tax evasion investigation against the company, its Indian businesses and overseas transactions. Some records have been seized too, they said

The Income-tax department has conducted searches at multiple premises of Chinese telecom company Huawei in the country as part of a tax evasion investigation, official sources said on Wednesday.

The raids were launched at the company's premises in Delhi, Gurugram (Haryana) and Bangalore in Karnataka on Tuesday.

The company said its operations in the country were "firmly compliant" with the law. "We have been informed of the visit of Income Tax team to our office and also of their meeting with some personnel.

Huawei is confident our operations in India are firmly compliant to all laws and regulations. We will approach related Government departments for more information and fully cooperate as per the rules and regulations and follow the right procedure," the company said in a statement.

The government has kept Huawei out of trials for 5G services. However, telecom operators have been allowed to source telecom gear from Huawei and ZTE under their old agreements for maintaining their networks but they will need approval of the government before getting into any new business agreement as per National Security Directive on Telecommunication Sector.

The tax department had last year conducted searches against Chinese mobile communication and handset manufacturing companies like Xiaomi and Oppo and their linked persons and claimed to have detected alleged unaccounted income worth over Rs 6,500 crore due to violation of the Indian tax law and regulations.

Earlier this week, the Information and Technology ministry blocked 54 more apps with Chinese links, including Tencent Xriver, Nice Video Baidu, Viva Video Editor, and gaming app Garena Free Fire Illuminate, citing security and privacy concerns.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has also conducted searches and frozen assets of Chinese-controlled companies and non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) dishing out instant loans through mobile apps in India.

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