Yogi Govt's Big Action Against Gangsters; Assets Worth Rs 500 Crore Attached

NOIDA/SAHARANPUR: The Uttar Pradesh Police on Tuesday attached gangster Haji Iqbal's allegedly ill-gotten properties worth over Rs 500 crore across Lucknow, Noida and Saharanpur, a senior officer said. These include properties worth Rs 200 crore in Saharanpur, land for a proposed township estimated worth around Rs 300 crore in Greater Noida in Gautam Buddh Nagar district and a bungalow worth Rs 7 crore in Lucknow, Senior Superintendent of Police (Saharanpur) Vipin Tada told PTI.

Haji Iqbal, around 60 years of age, features in the Uttar Pradesh Police's list of mafia gang leaders from Saharanpur district. Iqbal is accused in 36 criminal cases including those of illegal mining, land encroachment, women abuse, cheating, encroaching government property, etc, according to UP police records.

"Haji Iqbal's brother and three sons are already in jail. Currently he and his wife are at large. Proceedings against him were underway as per the provisions of the Gangsters' Act. During investigation, his properties worth over Rs 500 crore were identified and proposal for their attachment made to the Saharanpur district magistrate and consequently the properties have been attached by the police," SSP Tada said.

The action has been taken under Section 14 (1) of the Uttar Pradesh Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act which allows attachment of illegal properties, in order to effectively curb gangsters, mafias and criminals and their associates, he said. The officer said among the attached assets there are "hundreds of acres" of land in Saharanpur estimated worth around Rs 200 crore, a bungalow worth Rs 7 crore in the posh Gomti Nagar area of Lucknow and over 80,000 sq metre of land worth Rs 300 crore in Greater Noida.

"The land in Greater Noida is located in the Knowledge Park V area where his associates had proposed to develop a township. He had floated a company there (Greater Noida) for the township project which has also been seized," Tada told PTI. He said the police teams are working to identify more ill-gotten properties belonging to Iqbal and legal action would be taken against him accordingly.