ED grills Tablighi Jamaat Maulana Saad's close aide Mursaleen who handled accounts, donations at Markaz

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday (May 16) interrogated a close aide of Tablighi Jamaat chief Maulana Saad Kandhalvi. According to reports, Mursaleen used to stay in close contact with foreign Tablighi Jamaat members and had taken several frequent trips to foreign countries for the Jamaat work

The investigative agency believes that Mursaleen used to handle the donations and held a key position at the Markaz. He is also believed to have handled several accounts related to the Markaz.

According to reports, Mursaleen maintained all his data and records in Urdu. The account-related documents, confiscated by the Crime Branch team of Delhi Police from Markaz, were mostly written by Mursaleen. The documents were later handed over to the Enforcement Directorate.

It is to be noted that Maulana Saad continues to be at large. 

On May 11, a petition was filed in the Delhi High Court seeking direction for forthwith transfer of the Tablighi Jamaat case from Delhi Police to NIA claiming that the police failed to arrest the Jamaat chief Maulana Saad despite lapse of considerable time.

"It is a matter of record that local police, that is, Crime Branch is found to have miserably failed in tracing out/apprehending/arresting Maulana Saad, despite lapse of considerable time and his photograph being published in electronic media.

It is virtually impossible for Maulana Saad to hide himself for such a long time and that too in the capital of the country. Performance of the Delhi Police has been pathetic from the very inception and outset. Failure of the Delhi police is explicit from the fact that despite there being lockdown and curfew-like situation, Maulana Saad was able to arrange a gathering of thousands of people belonging to Tablighi Jamaat in the capital of India," the petition filed through advocate Yash Chaturvedi said.

It said people of Tablighi Jamaat have been spreading the deadly virus all over the country not only by defying the national lockdown, also by assaulting corona warriors who have been treating the patients.

Delhi Police's Crime Branch had on March 31 lodged an FIR against seven persons, including cleric Maulana Saad, on a complaint by Station House Officer of Nizamuddin police station in Delhi for holding a congregation of Tablighi Jamaat followers in alleged violation of the orders against large gatherings to contain the spread of coronavirus.

The Enforcement Directorate has also filed a money laundering case against Saad, trusts links to the Jamaat and others.