Mumbai, April 30: A special court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act has granted the Enforcement Directorate (ED) permission to attach additional assets linked to the late underworld don Iqbal Mirchi and his family under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018.
In an order issued on Wednesday, the court approved the attachment of properties listed in Schedule ‘C’ under Section 5(1) of the FEO Act. The court also allowed the filing of an additional application under Section 13 to include newly discovered assets during the investigation.
This application was filed by the Mumbai ED, which stated that these assets have emerged during further investigations and are part of ongoing proceedings under the PMLA.
The properties include three significant plots located in the Worli area of Mumbai: Rabia Mansion, Mariam Lodge, and Sea View, covering an area of approximately 4,970.41 square meters. Additionally, the assets include the Midwest Apartment hotel in Dubai and 14 real estate units.
The ED claims that these properties were purchased by Iqbal Mirchi (Iqbal Memon) using money acquired through criminal activities and were concealed through the Mohammad Yusuf Trust and family members Asif Iqbal Memon, Junaid Iqbal Memon, and Hazra Iqbal Memon.
The agency informed the court that the accused were declared fugitive economic offenders in February 2021, and directives for the seizure of their properties in India and abroad had already been issued.
The investigation also revealed that Mirchi purchased the Worli properties in 1986 for ₹6.5 lakh through his company and later attempted to conceal the true ownership through trusts and fake tenants.
The court accepted the ED’s plea, stating that properties could be attached following due process as per the law.