Mukhtar Ansari booked for Rs 25 lakh fraud

VARANASI: Don turned MLA Mukhtar Ansari has been booked in case of fraud and conspiracy for siphoning off Rs 25 lakh from his MLA Local Area Development fund in Sarai Lakhansi area of Mau district along with his three aides.

The case was lodged against Mukhtar on Saturday, 18 days after he was brought from Ropar jail in Punjab to UP and lodged in Banda jail.

ADG Varanasi zone Brij Bhushan said, “The siphoning off of Rs 25 lakh from MLA funds was detected recently. Between 2006-07 and 2017-18, Mukhtar ensured release of Rs 25 lakh to Anand Yadav and Baijnath Yadav of Sakin Sarva village to construct a school on gram sabha land that was illegally transferred in Baijnath’s name. However, not a single brick was found on the site. Local police lodged an FIR against Mukhtar Ansari, Baijnath Yadav, Anand Yadav and one Sanjay Sagar under Sections 419, 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 467 (forging documents), 468 (forgery for cheating), 471 and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC on Saturday.”

Mau police had started investigation on getting inputs about the fraud for siphoning off money from MLA fund for opening a school, said officials.

During probe, it came to light that gram sabha land had been transferred fraudulently in the name of Baijnath’s wife for opening a school, Guru Jagdish Singh Baijnath Pahalwan Uchchatar Madhyamik Vidyalay. Baijnath was instrumental in ensuring transfer of the land in the name of his wife with the help of his son Anand and a local Sanjay, they added.

There is not even a sign of any construction activity at the school site but Rs 25 lakh were released from Mukhtar’s MLALAD fund from 2006-07 to 2017-18, the ADG said.

“The probe was completed and all facts were verified and then an FIR was registered at the Sarai Lakhansi police station on Saturday,” he added.

Mukhtar and his gang have been facing action from police and local administration in Mau, Ghazipur, Azamgarh, Jaunpur, Varanasi and other districts since May 2020, resulting in loss of over Rs 258 crore.