LCB in court: Probing why Azhari withdrew Rs 27 L from account of his trust
In the Junagadh case, while opposing Azhari's bail plea on Wednesday, LCB in charge Inspector J J Patel told chief judicial magistrate that Rs 52 lakh were deposited in the bank account of Al-Amaan Education and Welfare Trust, run by the cleric, in 2023.
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Mufti Salman AzhariThe Local Crime Branch (LCB) of Junagadh district police has told a court that it is investigating financial dealings and foreign trips of Mufti Salman Azhari, the Mumbai-based cleric booked for allegedly delivering a hate speech in Junagadh on January 31, after probe revealed that he had withdrawn Rs 27.75 lakh from the account of a charitable trust he runs within a year.
A court in Kutch, meanwhile, on Thursday sent Azhari (38) to three-day police custody in connection with another case of hate speech that he allegedly also delivered on January 31. The Kutch (East) LCB produced Azhari in a court in Bhachau town seeking his remand. “The court granted us his custody for three days,” Naran Chudasama, Inspector in charge of Kutch (East) police, said.
In the Junagadh case, while opposing Azhari’s bail plea on Wednesday, LCB in charge Inspector J J Patel told chief judicial magistrate that Rs 52 lakh were deposited in the bank account of Al-Amaan Education and Welfare Trust, run by the cleric, in 2023.
“We are investigating who deposited this money… As per the bank account statement, (Azhari) himself withdrew Rs 27.75 lakh from it. We are investigating how he used the money. If it emerges that the money was used for illegal activities, we may need his presence for interrogation,” Patel, the investigating officer in the case, said in an affidavit.
The affidavit added that besides the trust’s bank account, Azhari and his family have three other accounts. “Efforts are on to get details of all those accounts. Once we have those details, it is likely that we will need the presence of the accused for an in-depth investigation about each transaction,” the LCB told the court.
The LCB also said that nine cases, including those of rioting and damage to public property, have been registered against Azhari at Hubli in Karnataka and that his supporters indulged in rioting in Mumbai when a team of Gujarat Anti Terrorism Squad arrived to detain him earlier this week.
The LCB added that it is looking into foreign trips, if any, of the accused. “Based on his passport number, efforts are on to get details from the regional passport office about overseas travels from 2022 to till date.”
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