Delhi violence: Tahir Hussain sent to judicial custody in money laundering case

Suspended AAP councillor Tahir Hussain has been sent to judicial custody in connection with a money laundering case related to northeast Delhi violence, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) submitted before the Delhi High Court on Thursday.

Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, representing the ED, said that Tahir Hussain has been sent to judicial custody by a trial court today and the agency did not seek his further custody. Raju said that Hussain has been handed over to Tihar Jail authorities.

A single-judge bench of Justice Yogesh Khanna, which was hearing Hussain's plea against a trial court order extending his ED remand in the money laundering case, adjourned the matter for detail arguments on November 24 after hearing the submissions.

The ED custody of Tahir Hussain, a key accused in the northeast Delhi violence which took place in February this year, was earlier extended by three days. The accused had moved a plea in the High Court claiming the extension of ED remand was illegal.

Senior advocate KK Manon, representing Hussain, submitted that the order of extended three-day ED remand was illegal and said that he wanted to argue on the law. He said that the trial court has erred in deciding the ED's application.

The economic offences wing had arrested Tahir Hussain in a money laundering case and made him accused of various other fraudulent acts of cheating, falsification/forgery of documents and criminal conspiracy.

Advocate Amit Mahajan and Advocate Naveen Kumar Matra, who appeared for the ED in a trial court earlier, had submitted that accused has entered into a criminal conspiracy by fraudulently transferred money from the accounts of many companies.

"The money so obtained are proceeds of crime which were then used for committing various other scheduled offences. We need further remand of him to confront him with several documents, etc," the ED counsels had said.

Earlier, ED had submitted that accused has also been arrested in connection with northeast Delhi violence case. Lawyers representing the ED had also submitted that scheduled offences are attracted in the present case and it is suspected case of money laundering.

The lawyers had also submitted that ED has also conducted searches at various premises and several incriminating documents and digital devices were recovered and seized from the accused's possessions.

Recently, a Delhi court had taken cognizance on a chargesheet filed against Tahir Hussain and others in a case related to the murder of Intelligence Bureau (IB) staffer Ankit Sharma during the northeast Delhi violence in February this year.

According to the Delhi Police, Tahir Hussain is one of the prime accused in connection with northeast Delhi violence, in which at least 53 people lost their lives. 

-ANI

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