Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Oct 13: Journalist Rana Ayyub has been charged by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) with money laundering in a Ghaziabad court.
A money laundering investigation was started by the investigative agency ED based on a FIR that the UP Police had filed in 2021. Rana Ayyub is charged with fraudulently collecting money from the general public under the guise of charity.
According to allegations made by the ED, Rana Ayyub launched three campaigns and amassed millions of dollars using the online crowdfunding site Ketto. According to investigation officials, the three initiatives are funding for farmers and slum dwellers (from April to May 2020), disaster aid for Assam, Bihar, and Maharashtra (from June to September 2020), and assistance for persons affected by COVID 19 in India (during May-June 2021).
Through three campaigns, Rana Ayyub raised Rs 2.69 crore in donations, of which Rs 80.49 lakh came from overseas. Rana Ayyub eventually refunded the foreign contributions after the Income Tax agency opened an investigation into potential violations of the Foreign Contribution Regulations Act (FCRA).
As per probe funds raised on online platforms were received in a/c of Rana Ayyub's father& sister,&later transferred to her personal a/c. Ayyub utilized the funds to create FD of Rs 50 lakhs for herself&transferred Rs 50 lakhs in new a/c.Approx Rs 29 lakh used for relief work:ED
— ANI (@ANI) October 13, 2022
According to ED, money raised online was received in her father’s and sister’s accounts before being moved to her own accounts. Additionally, she only used the money to transfer another Rs. 50 lakh to a new bank account and construct a Rs. 50 lakh fixed deposit for herself. For relief efforts, only Rs 29 lakh were used.
