Rs 1.77 crores of journalist Rana Ayyub have been frozen by the ED or Enforcement Directorate. The journalist has been accused of alleged money laundering and misleading the funds collected for charitable purposes.
The founder of an NGO ‘Hindu IT Cell’, Vikas Sankrityayan had filed an FIR against the journalist Rana Ayyub for money laundering on September, 2021. The FIR was filed by the Ghaziabad Police in Uttar Pradesh. According to the ED sources, the financial investigation agency has exposed crowdfunding of over Rs 2.69 crores for philanthropic purposes in 2020-21. The money had been raised on a crowdfunding platform known as Ketto. However, Ayyub clarified, “entire donation received through Ketto is accounted for and not a single paisa has been misused.”
The ED has now issued a law pursuit under the PMLA Act ( Prevention of Money Laundering Act) and has frozen around Rs 1.77 crores belonging to the journalist. The Electorate Director said, “Funds totaling Rs 2,69,44,680 were raised on Ketto by Rana Ayyub. These funds were withdrawn in the bank accounts of her sister and father.” The funds collected from the public were then transferred to Ayyub’s bank accounts subsequently. Now, a fixed deposit has been attached in her name by the ED. Hence, the money is frozen and cannot be transferred anymore.
