‘Waging war against govt’: Accused in AFMI Trust case face more charges

The police also said they have identified Jammu resident Mohammad Jazzarat Khan as the local contact of co-accused Mohammad Umar Gautam of India Da’wah Centre who received funds siphoned off by AFMI to carry out illegal activities in Jammu and Kashmir. “The person in contact with Umar Gautam, Jazzarat Khan, has also been booked in a case for promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion and deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings as per the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC), Act that was in force in Jammu and Kashmir,” the Vadodara police said.

Assistant Commissioner of Police, Crime, DS Chauhan told The Indian Express, “We have added the new sections against all the accused following the legal advice of our special prosecutor”. He added that Khan was booked in Jammu about seven years ago for a similar crime. “More investigation is underway in the matter and we will decide whether we should bring him to Vadodara,” Chauhan said.

After filing the charge sheet, the SIT had arrested two more accused — Sajid Ahmed Patel and Yusuf Patel — both residents of Amod village in Bharuch — for being involved in the conspiracy. The police have also sought an arrest warrant for two other accused absconding, Abdullah Adam Fefdawala and Mustafa Saifuddin Thanawala, against whom a lookout circular (LOC) has been issued and a process has been initiated to issue a red corner notice.

The charge sheet enlists various activities for which the AFMI trust misused the funds received under the FCRA for the specific purpose of the trust as well as hawala transactions amounting to Rs 60 crore, allegedly routed through Dubai. According to the charge sheet, of the Rs 80 crore under probe, AFMI trust, in connivance with IH Kasuwala Firm, siphoned off Rs 1.65 crore by presenting fake invoices issued to the trust. Of the Rs 1.65 crore, AFMI trust “knowingly presented accounts of expenditure of Rs 94.65 lakh to the government agencies”, including the charity commissioner, based on the fake invoices.

The police have accused the trust of routing the foreign funds to aid activities of a communal clash in Delhi as well as protests (against CAA) and for “other criminal activities to strengthen Islam”. The trust, the police states, was also involved in the illegal conversion of Hindu community members into Islam.