Edhi arrested Iqbal Mirchi's colleague Humayu Merchant in money laundering case

Mumbai, Oct 22, 2019, Tuesday

ED has arrested Humayu Merchant, a close associate of Iqbal Mirchi alias Iqbal Maiman, a one-time ally of the underworld don Dawood in the money laundering case. Iqbal Pepper died in 2013. Its power of attorney is owned by Humayun Merchant.

Under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, the Himayu Merchant has been arrested and will be produced in the special court of Mumbai and demanded custody.

The ED alleges that the Humayu Merchant intentionally rented tenants to illegally seize the three properties of Sir Mohammed Yusuf Trust, Sea View, Maryam Lodge and Rabia Mansion. ED's investigation found that the tenants living in all three properties were fake.

An affiliate of Sunblink Real Estate Private Limited, a merchant company, is investigating the ED. The promoter of this company is NCP leader Praful Patel.

The merchant is alleged to have arranged a meeting in London between the promoter of chili and the local real estate company Joy Home Creation Private Limited. The merchant is believed to have received Rs 170 crore for the sale of these properties.

The Central Agency has also arrested two other men - Haroon Aleem Yusuf and Ranjit Singh Bindar - in the case. Last week, the ED had also questioned Praful Patel in the case.

According to officials, in the coming days, ED will take over CJ House Touch under money laundering as the agency believes that Pepper's family used the crime money for the property.

According to a senior ED officer associated with the investigation, Praful Patel admitted during the investigation that he had made deals with Mirchi's family. The official said that in his statement to the agency, the NCP leader said he was unaware that Iqbal Maiman alias Iqbal Mirchi was the same person.