The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested late mafia don-turned-politician, Mukhtar Ansari’s close associate Mohd Shadab, alias ‘Dumpy’, on Wednesday morning from Lucknow’s Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport in connection with a Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) case, ED officials said on Friday. They said the ED had registered a case in the matter around three years back and he was at large since then. He was arrested soon after he arrived in Lucknow from Dubai, he added.
According to officials, Dumpy, a resident of the Nagar area in Ghazipur, was considered the “uncrowned king” of the massive diesel (oil) scam involving telecom tower companies, worth thousands of crores. This high-profile arrest has created a stir in UP’s political and criminal circles, as Dumpy’s revelations are expected to spell trouble for several prominent figures.
A senior ED official confirmed that the non bailable warrant was issued against him in September 2022.
A senior Lucknow jail official confirmed that Shadab was brought to jail on Wednesday after arrest. He said that he has been lodged in the jail since then.
A Ghazipur police official informed that Dumpy is said to have been one of Mukhtar Ansari’s closest associates and an active member of his IS-191 gang. “Using the clout of his mafia boss, he allegedly carried out a large-scale diesel scam in partnership with a former MP, involving telecom tower companies. Through this illegal operation, he reportedly amassed assets worth billions of rupees,” he said.
He said Dumpy’s arrest is being seen as the most crucial breakthrough so far in the massive diesel scam. He said Dumpy is expected to reveal detailed information about the roles of high-profile individuals and the gang’s modus operandi in the diesel scam.
“Based on Dumpy’s disclosures, several of the gang’s illegal properties could be identified, enabling the government to take action under the Gangsters’ Act. This would be a major success for the state government’s ongoing campaign against organised crime, potentially crippling mafia operations across Purvanchal,” he stressed.