ED seizes Rs 2.37 cr in crypto, bank deposits in Gujarat Waqf case

New Delhi, May 7 (PTI) The ED has frozen Rs 7 lakh in cryptocurrency and Rs 2 crore of bank funds apart from seizing Rs 30 lakh cash following searches connected to a money laundering probe linked to alleged financial irregularities in certain Gujarat Waqf properties.

Nine sites were raided in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.

The federal probe agency's zonal office in Ahmedabad recently registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, taking cognisance of a local police FIR.

The FIR named Salim Jumma Khan Pathan, Mohammad Yasar Abdulhamiya Sheikh, Mehmud Khan Jumma Khan Pathan, Fezmohamad Pir Mohammad Chobdar and Saheed Ahmad Yakubhai Sheikh. Police said Salim Jummakhan Pathan is a history sheeter and faces five cases, including one under the Arms Act.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Enforcement Directorate said bank deposits worth Rs 2 crore and Rs 7 lakh in cryptocurrency were frozen.

Moreover, Rs 30 lakh cash have been seized, it said, adding these amounts were either owned or controlled by the accused and their affiliates having parked suspected proceeds of crime.

The ED had said the accused "illegally" claimed to be trustees of the Kanch Ki Masjid Trust and Shah Bada Kasam Trust. They entered into fraud lease agreements, extorted rents from tenants and submitted false affidavits to the Waqf Board, the agency alleged.

It suspects the accused built shops on the mosque trust's land, collected rent and committed "fraud and conspiracy" against the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and Waqf Board for "personal" gains.

Sources said a plot of land adjacent to the 'Kanch Ki Masjid' was originally owned by the mosque trust. It was given to the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation years ago with an agreement that two Urdu schools would be build on the plot.

The school was damaged during the 2001 earthquake and demolished in 2009. Between 2008 and 2025, as many as 150 to 200 houses and 25 to 30 shops were built here "illegally" and the accused collected rent but did not deposit in the trust's account.

Instead, the accused allegedly siphoned off the trust money and land originally meant for community welfare, according to the ED.

According to the federal probe agency, the accused submitted a "forged" affidavit to the Waqf Board at Gandhinagar in 2024 to claim trusteeship and mislead both the board and the civic body.

The Centre has recently brought in the Waqf Amendment Act to bring about transparency in the operations and transactions related to Waqf properties. PTI NES NSD NSD

Source: PTI