New Delhi: Controversial Delhi-based meat exporter Moin Qureshi was today briefly detained at the Indira Gandhi International Airport based on a look out circular issued by the ED against him in a money laundering case but was later allowed to fly to Dubai.
Officials said immigration authorities first alerted Enforcement Directorate sleuths after they intercepted Qureshi, who reached the airport here to take a flight to Dubai.
The action was taken based on a ED look out circular against him. Subsequently, a team of ED officials arrived to take his custody, they said.
However, according to airport officials, Qureshi told authorities that he has furnished a bond and got the court’s nod to travel abroad even as he got a fax sent in this regard from his legal team to the airport, based on which immigration authorities allowed him to travel.
“We have sought the documents from immigration authorities based on which Qureshi was allowed to travel. Our officials were on the spot to take his custody but he was allowed to fly abroad,” ED sources said.
It is understood that the agency has been wanting to question Qureshi for long and had issued summons to him but could lay their hands on him only today.
The agency had registered a money laundering case against Qureshi under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) last year. He is under the scanner of probe agencies for alleged tax evasion and hawala-like dealings.
The agency had slapped the fresh charges under PMLA after taking cognisance of the I-T department’s charge sheet (also called prosecution complaint) against Qureshi in their alleged tax evasion case in a local court last year.
The ED had earlier been probing this case under FEMA after the I-T department first shared documents indicating hawala and alleged contravention of forex laws by the businessman and his business entities based here.
The ED had alleged that Qureshi has sent “huge amount of funds” through the hawala route to Dubai, London and few other overseas destinations in Europe.
The agency early last year had also conducted searches on Qureshi’s premises and had also questioned him.
The Income Tax department, during its probe, had found Qureshi had 11 bank lockers which were in the names of his employees and associates but the articles belonged to the businessman.
The lockers were operated by the employees of AMQ Group of Qureshi claiming that over Rs 11.26 crore in cash and jewellery worth over Rs 8.35 crore were found in these lockers.
PTI
