As Delhi Police is tightening its grip on the case involving the foreign funding of the controversial Islamic seminary Tablighi Jamaat, it has stumbled upon 2 types of donations -cash and foreign donations, that the orthodox Muslim organisation received from its benefactors.
Ever since Tablighi Jamaat emerged as the potent super-spreader of the coronavirus in the country, government agencies have buckled down to investigate the shady financial operations carried out by the organisation. The police have recently found out that Markaz Nizamuddin, the headquarter of Tablighi Jamaat in Delhi, has been doling out cash to the thousands of Tablighis who visit the centre every year. All the payments with respect to the travel and their stay arrangements are made in cash, the police said, raising suspicions about the donations received by the organisation.
#Breaking | Delhi Police intensifies Markaz probe; ‘stumbles’ upon the 2 types of funding. Cash & foreign donations are under lens.
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) April 29, 2020
Details by TIMES NOW’s Priyank. pic.twitter.com/j233qNw3Te
In addition, the probe agencies also discovered that Maulana Saad received millions in his bank account from bank accounts located in abroad, raising their suspicions about the management of Tablighi Jamaat being involved in money laundering. The agencies have also come across major financial irregularities by Tablighi Jamaat such as receiving disproportionately large donations that the organisation received in the month of March which was promptly transferred to several other bank accounts within 24 hours of receiving the donation.
Millions of rupees as donation, maximum in March this year
According to the Crime Branch of Delhi Police, which is investigating the finances of Tablighi Jamaat, Maulana Saad has been receiving money in the tunes of millions by anti-national forces. They have also asserted that the money received by Tablighi Jamaat is being made under the guise of donation for religious education. The role of accused Maulana Saad’s acolyte, Javed, is also under scanner as the police have accused him of transferring millions of rupees every day to Markaz’s account in batches from different bank accounts to escape scrutiny.
As per a report in Jagran, the Crime Branch of the Delhi Police and Enforcement Directorate, which are investigating the Tablighi Markaz, have discovered a bank account in the Bank of India’s branch at Nizamuddin in the name of Markaz. Maulana Saad’s name is also mentioned in the account. Although Tablighi Jamaat keeps receiving the donation from its patrons all around the year, the investigative agencies are probing into the unusually large donations that the organisation received in the month of March.
However, a key aspect to this donation was that within 24-48 hours of receiving the windfall, the money was transferred to more than a dozen accounts through net banking, raising suspicion. When the bank officials questioned Javed regarding the suspicious transfer, he gave evasive replies to the bank officials’ queries. Later, when on March 31, the bank officials warned to close the bank account if Saad does not appear in person, Javed smugly asserted that even big security officers of the Government of India had to seek time from Maulana Saad before meeting him.
Tablighi Jamaat- the super spreader of coronavirus
The role of Tablighi Jamaat in the spreading of the Wuhan Coronavirus across numerous states of India had come to light when 10 people who had attended the congregation at Markaz Nizamuddin died of COVID-19. Muslim clerics of Tablighi Jamaat organised a congregation in violation of the government’s lockdown orders, providing a conducive environment for the novel coronavirus to proliferate. As per conservative estimates, the congregation organised by Tablighi Jamaat was attended by more than 2000 people, both from various parts of the country as well as from abroad.
Maulana Saad, was booked under The Epidemics Act 1897 for allowing religious congregation in the month of March despite repeated warnings from the centre and the state government. He disregarded the guidelines issued by the government in the light of the Wuhan coronavirus epidemic which is spreading rapidly. Maulana Saad is wanted in an offence lodged by the Delhi Police under sections of the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 and sections of the Indian Penal Code, for violating government directions on steps to be taken for avoiding the spread of Wuhan Coronavirus.
In addition, the Delhi police have also charged Tablighi Jamaat Chief Maulana Saad Kandhalvi for culpable homicide not amounting to murder. The charges of culpable homicide under Section 304 of the Indian Penal Code was added to the FIR that was already lodged against the religious leader on March 31.
Furthermore, the Enforcement Directorate has registered a money laundering case against the Tablighi Jamaat Chief Maulana Saad Kandhalvi and nine others on Thursday under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) based on predicate offence that is registered by Delhi police.
