Lucknow: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday raided 10 locations in Rampur, Saharanpur and Delhi linked to Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust and University of jailed Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan as part of a money laundering investigation.The probe is examining suspected diversion of funds earned through govt contracts and the alleged routing of portions of those funds to entities associated with the trust and the university, both linked to Azam Khan.Investigators are scrutinising whether contractors who obtained govt work subsequently transferred money, directly or indirectly, toward activities connected to the trust, including construction and development of assets tied to the university.While Azam Khan, a former state cabinet minister, is the main trustee, some family members and associates are also linked to it.Sources familiar with the investigation said the agency is focusing on the money trail between certain contractors and Jauhar Trust. Transactions being examined include payments recorded as contributions as well as expenditures allegedly linked to construction and development activity, along with other financial outflows involving the university. Officials are attempting to determine the origin of the funds, trace how the money moved through accounts and intermediaries, and establish how it was ultimately utilised.During the searches, ED teams examined financial records and official papers, collected banking and transaction details, and checked digital evidence. Investigators are expected to review documents related to the contractors’ business dealings and any financial links with individuals or entities connected to the trust and the university. The agency is seeking to identify suspected proceeds of crime and establish whether funds connected to govt projects were channelled into assets or activities associated with the trust-run institutions.The searches come amid continuing legal and administrative proceedings involving the university. Earlier, Moradabad commissioner and Rampur Development Authority chairman Anjaney Kumar Singh stayed an RDA order directing the demolition of 38 of the university’s 40 buildings. The demolition notice had been issued by the RDA vice-chairman and Rampur district magistrate Ajay Kumar Dwivedi after the authority alleged the structures were raised without approved maps. The university management and the trust challenged the demolition decision before the appellate authority, leading to the stay.Officials said ED’s current effort is aimed at mapping financial mechanisms that may have connected govt contractors and trust-linked entities, while examining asset creation and related expenditures as the investigation continues.
