New Delhi, April 16: Maulana Saad Kandhalvi, leader of religious group Tablighi Jamaat, was booked by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on money laundering charges, reports said on Thursday. Along with the cleric, nine others linked to him have also been named in the case filed by the probing agency. Saad and other accused came under ED radar following a Delhi Police investigation.

The ED would be investigating the trust managed by Saad to ascertain whether the funds received from India and abroad were in accordance to the law. The history of transactions involving Saad and the Jamaat under his recent leadership would also be scrutinised, said reports citing officials. Uttar Pradesh: 17 Tablighi Jamaat Attendees Test Positive For Coronavirus in Moradabad.

"ED has registered a money laundering case against Maulana Saad and others today, under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), based on a predicate offence registered by Delhi Police," said sources while speaking to news agency ANI.

"9 people including Maulana Saad is on Enforcement Directorate radar. ED will also investigate the trust of Maulana Saad and transactions of trust will also be investigated," they added.

Update by ANI

Saad was earlier on Thursday charged with "culpable homicide not amounting to murder" in a separate case registered by the Delhi Police. The Jamaat leader came under fire for organising a grand congregation in mid-March, which was attended by the group's affiliated members from several Indian states and foreign countries.

The congregation reportedly began on March 13 at the Banglewali Masjid, also referred to as Markaz or headquarters of the Tablighi Jamaat. The Markaz is located in Nizamuddin Basti area of the national capital.

The Delhi government has accused the Jamaat of violating the orders by defying an order issued on March 13 which barred all forms of mass gatherings due to the COVID-19 threat. The Jamaat, however, claimed that the order was not effectively disseminated, and that they were not stopped by the police from holding the congregation.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 16, 2020 08:48 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).