ED Arrests Former AET President for Money Laundering, Radicalisation & Illegal Cash Operations.

Headnote:

The Enforcement Directorate arrested Mohammed Sadeeque alias Sadik Khan, former President of Alfurkan Educational Trust (AET), for his alleged involvement in large-scale money laundering arising from systematic diversion of public donations, foreign-funded radical activities, and illegal cash-driven criminal networks. The Special PMLA Court, Jaipur granted 3 days' ED custody for further investigation.

The ED investigation revealed misuse of charitable donations, links with radical foreign organisations, unaccounted cash operations, and criminal activities including illegal arms, gambling, and illicit liquor trade.

Background:

• ED initiated the case based on two FIRs filed by Rajasthan Police and credible intelligence inputs.

• Allegations included:

1. Radicalisation and Dawah activities
2. Forced religious conversions
3. Foreign associations with radical organisations
4. Suspicious high-value financial transactions
5. • Chargesheets also recorded offences of attempt to murder and use of illegal arms.
6. • Sadeeque, as head of the Alfurkan Educational Trust (which manages Masjid-e-Ayesha), allegedly collected large public donations in cash with no financial records, retaining the money personally.
7. • Funds meant for charitable use were allegedly diverted for foreign travel, meetings with banned outfits, and criminal operations.

ED’s Findings & Observations:Misuse of Religious Trust & Systematic Cash Diversion

• Donations collected by AET were allegedly kept entirely in cash under Sadeeque’s personal control.

• These unaccounted funds were used for personal expenses and to finance illegal networks.

• No legitimate source of income was found; he subsisted on unlawful activities like gambling, illicit liquor trade, and suspected arms dealing.

Foreign Visits & Radical Links

• Multiple foreign visits to Bangladesh, Nepal, Qatar, and Oman were made using cash with no lawful financial trail.

• During Bangladesh visits, he collaborated with Md. Salim alias Saurabh Vaidya, arrested by MP ATS for links with Hizb-ut-Tahrir.

• He maintained contact with members of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB/JuM) even after returning to India.

• He intended to travel onward to Syria (conflict zone) but was intercepted by immigration authorities.

Involvement in Criminal Activities

• Three country-made weapons and live cartridges were recovered by local police from him and associates.

• Investigators found evidence of:

1. Cash-based gambling
2. Illicit liquor dealings
3. Suspected involvement in illegal country-made firearms
4. • A widely circulated inflammatory speech attributed to him was allegedly delivered to provoke communal sentiments.

Inflammatory Activities to Generate Cash

• The ED found that activities like:

1. Burning a foreign country’s flag in public
2. Delivering provocative speeches
3. were used to inflame public emotions and convert the resulting anger into cash donations for personal and illicit purposes.

Overall Assessment

• Sadeeque used the façade of religious and charitable work to conceal deeper networks of radical influence, shadow financing, and criminal activity.

• His financial operations were entirely cash-based and unaccounted, pointing to deliberate money-laundering strategies.

Outcome

• The Special PMLA Court, Jaipur granted 3 days of ED custody (till 06.12.2025).

• ED described the arrest as a critical step in dismantling:

1. Radical influence channels
2. Shadow financing systems
3. Illegal cash-based criminal networks

Further investigation is ongoing.

Legal Provisions Discussed:

• Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) – Arrest & investigation powers

• Indian Penal Code, 1860 – Attempt to murder, criminal conspiracy, illegal arms

• Arms Act, 1959 – Possession of country-made weapons

• Relevant Police FIRs & Chargesheets forming the predicate offences