IBNS: Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a charge sheet in a Ghaziabad court against journalist Rana Ayyub for allegedly diverting a large portion of funds collected through online platforms in the name of charity, media reports said.
The Central agency has slapped money laundering charges based on an FIR filed by the Uttar Pradesh Police in 2021.
According to the ED, Ayyub collected money for three campaigns via Ketto, an online crowdfunding platform, in the accounts of her father and sister, and subsequently transferred the funds into her personal account, India Today reported.
The investigating officials said the three campaigns include funds for slum dwellers and farmers (during April- May 2020), relief work for Assam, Bihar and Maharashtra (during June- Sept 2020) and help for Covid-19 impacted people in India (during May and June 2021).
Through the three campaigns, she received Rs 2.69 crore out of which Rs 80.49 lakh was received in foreign currency.
After the Income Tax department started a probe for allegedly violating the Foreign Contribution Regulations Act (FCRA), Rana Ayyub returned the funds received in foreign donations.
ED alleged that Rana Ayyub used only Rs 29 lakhs for relief work.
The probe officials further said that she created a fixed deposit of Rs 50 lakh for herself and transferred another Rs 50 lakh to a new bank account.
“In order to claim more expenses towards relief work, fake bills were submitted by Rana Ayyub,” the ED said.
“Rana Ayyub has tried to project these funds as untainted and thus has laundered the funds received from general public. Rana Ayyub also received these funds from foreign countries without any approval or registration from the government which is required under Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, 2010,” the ED said in its chargesheet, according to the report.
“ED Investigation has established that Rana Ayyub had launched the aforesaid campaigns with the sole intention to cheat the general public and acquired Proceeds of Crime in the form of FD and balances in bank accounts projecting them as untainted,” the central agency further said.
