BJP leader Kirit Somaiya addressing a press conference in Mumbai. (Photo: PTI)

By Ritvick Arun Bhalekar

In Short

  • ED conducted searches over suspicious transactions of Rs 125 crore
  • Seeraj Mohammed accused of opening fake accounts for Rs 200 crore deals
  • Funds allegedly linked to All India Ulama Board, Marathi Muslim Seva Sangh

Maharashtra BJP leader and former MP Kirit Somaiya has levelled serious allegations regarding the misuse of Hindu youths’ bank accounts to fund what he claimed is a “vote jihad” operation in poll-bound Maharashtra.

Somaiya complained about the matter to the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which prompted the federal probe agency to conduct searches at multiple locations in Maharashtra and Gujarat, investigating suspicious financial transactions amounting to a staggering Rs 125 crore.

Somaiya has accused Seeraj Mohammed, a resident of Malegaon, of luring twelve Hindu youths with job offers at the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) in October.

The accused allegedly opened bank accounts in the names of these people at Nashik Merchant Co-operative Bank and the Bank of Maharashtra. Using their Aadhaar and PAN cards, Mohammed was said to have established accounts under fake and shell companies, which were subsequently used for transactions totalling nearly Rs 200 crore from various international locations.

Speaking to reporters, the BJP leader alleged that the funds were being funnelled through intermediaries, specifically the All India Ulama Board and the Marathi Muslim Seva Sangh in Maharashtra.

This story was originally published in indiatoday.in. Read the full story here.