Rana Ayyub stopped from leaving for UK

Sources in the ED said Ayyub had been summoned twice but she responded to only one summons following which the lookout circular was issued against her. Sources said based on this, Ayyub was detained by immigration authorities and ED was informed.

Ayyub was issued fresh summons Tuesday for appearance in Delhi on April 1.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Ayyub said: “I got the first summon in September or October last year when Mumbai ED was probing a forex violations case. I not only met them but provided them all the required documents. The next time I got summons in January, but I had Covid and so sought more time.”

According to Ayyub, she received the fresh summons from ED after she had already been detained at the airport. “I was told I have to go back home. I was supposed to receive an award and also address the newsroom of the Guardian newspaper. My entire plan has been public all this while and I have always been in touch with ED. In fact, ED Delhi is asking for documents that I have already submitted with Mumbai ED, but they keep asking me to get them. I have written several emails to Mumbai ED for the same but have got no response,” Ayyub said.

In February this year, the ED attached bank deposits to the tune of Rs 1.77 crore belonging to Ayyub in connection with the case.

The ED case is based on an FIR by UP police last year where it was alleged that Ayyub collected funds through Ketto platform in the name of Covid relief work but diverted the funds.

“Investigations conducted by Directorate of Enforcement make it abundantly clear that the funds were raised in the name of charity in a completely pre-planned and systematic manner and the funds were not utilized completely for the purpose of which the funds were raised,” the ED said in a statement then.

According to ED, investigations disclose that instead of utilizing the funds for the relief work, Ayyub parked some of the funds by opening a separate current bank account.

“(She) also created a Fixed Deposit of Rs 50 lakh from the funds raised on Ketto and subsequently did not utilize these for relief works. She deposited a total of Rs 74.50 lakh in PM Cares fund and CM Relief Fund,” the ED said. “Accordingly, at the stage of investigation, the proceeds of crime are quantified as Rs 1,77,27,704 and the interest generated upon the said FD of Rs. 50 lakh,” the statement added.

The money attached by ED is in the form of bank deposits in three different bank accounts.

The ED alleged that her sister’s and father’s accounts were used to park funds and Ayyub prepared “fake bills” to “claim expenses on relief work.” Expenses made for “personal” air travel, the agency said, were claimed as “expense for relief work.”

The UP police FIR against Ayyub was registered in September last year at Indirapuram police station in Ghaziabad on a complaint from one Vikas Sankrityayan. Apart from sections of IPC and IT Act, the police had also invoked Section 4 of Black Money Act alleging that she illegally acquired money from general public in the name of charity.

Ayyub had rejected these allegations saying money-laundering charges levelled against her were “preposterous and wholly mala fide”.