In a significant development, the Income Tax Department has taken further action in its ongoing investigation into the possession of benami assets involving the notorious gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari. As part of its probe, codenamed ‘Operation Panther,’ the department has seized a second land property valued at approximately Rs 12 crore that is linked to Ansari.
The property in question, covering an area of 3,234 square feet, is situated in the Dalibagh area of Lucknow. Interestingly, it is registered under the name of a woman named Tanveer Sahar. However, the investigation has revealed that Tanveer Sahar lacks any substantial source of income, and her husband, who is the sole breadwinner of the family, earns a monthly salary of merely around Rs 20,000.
The financial transactions associated with this property have raised serious suspicions. Despite the purchase price allegedly being Rs 75 lakh, the income of Tanveer’s husband does not align with such a significant expenditure. Furthermore, the cheques used for the transaction were never deposited into any bank.
The investigation has unraveled a web of complex financial dealings surrounding the property. It was discovered that the property had been mortgaged to a bank for a loan of Rs 1.6 crore by Mukhtar Ansari’s associate, Ganesh Dutt Mishra. Remarkably, this loan was promptly repaid in full, following which the property was transferred to Tanveer Sahar.
Sources have revealed that the property originally belonged to Mukhtar Ansari’s wife, Afsha Ansari. Additionally, Ganesh Mishra has informed the Income Tax Department that the property transfer and other financial transactions were managed by Atif Raza, Mukhtar Ansari’s brother-in-law. Raza was responsible for overseeing the financial matters and properties of the Ansari family, and it was under his guidance that the property was ultimately transferred to Tanveer Sahar.
Moreover, it was discovered that the three cheques issued by Tanveer Sahar were drawn from an account that had been specifically opened for the sole purpose of the property transfer. Intriguingly, the account’s highest credit and debit amounts were approximately Rs 15 to 16 lakh. Still, it was used to issue three cheques totaling Rs 75 lakh, all of which remained unrealized.
This development comes on the heels of the Income Tax Department’s earlier action in May when it attached another property owned by Mukhtar Ansari in Gazipur, Uttar Pradesh. The department’s extensive scrutiny of Ansari’s assets is part of “Operation Panther,” a comprehensive investigation into properties valued at around Rs 100 crores connected to the incarcerated gangster-politician.
Mukhtar Ansari currently resides in Banda jail and faces a staggering 61 criminal cases spanning various states. To date, he has been convicted in six of these cases, making this ongoing investigation a critical part of bringing accountability and justice to the fore.