Three buildings worth Rs 500 million were seized under the Smugglers and Currency Handlers Act 1976 (SAFEMA) after the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) revealed on Wednesday that drug trafficker Iqbal Mirchi, a close aide gangster Dawood Ibrahim, misrepresented ownership of these buildings. .
“The investigation conducted by ED revealed that, in 2005, Iqbal Mirchi, in collusion with the Sir Mohamed Yusuf Trust, misrepresented the ownership of these buildings before the Competent Authority (SAFEMA / NDPS Act),” ED said in a press release.
“Based on the evidence shared by the Directorate of Enforcement, the Competent Authority (SAFEMA / NDPS Act) has lost three buildings: Rabia Mansion, Mariam Lodge & Sea View, all located in Worli, Mumbai. The value of the properties is approximately 500 million rupees, ”the agency added.
All the transactions carried out around these properties were declared null and void, the order said, adding that the properties were falsely claimed by a trust before the competent authorities on the pretext that since Iqbal Mirchi had not made the full payment, he did not he had handed over possession. .
Based on the explanation above, the properties were released from the embargo under the Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) in 2005. On November 6, 2019, ED investigated the case and reported the fraud to the appropriate authority, sharing definitive and undeniable evidence of ownership of these properties by Iqbal Mirchi, according to the press release.
“The evidence includes complete payment receipts issued by the trust together with the corresponding entry in the bank book, letter issued by the trust regarding the delivery of the possession to Iqbal Memon, income tax filings admitting the sale of these properties, etc., ”the statement said. .
“In the new order, the competent authority has now observed that the order dated 03.11.2005 was obtained through fraud, intentional suppression of documentary evidence and facts and, therefore, is not an order in the eyes of the law. The Competent Authority also observed that the trust concealed vital evidence and facts about the ownership of these properties, ”added the press release.
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