Moin Qureshi took help of a CBI director to extort Rs 5.7 cr

Meat exporter Moin Qureshi took the help of a serving CBI director to extort Rs 5.75 crore from a businessman, promising him help in a case being investigated by the CBI, the Enforcement Directorate has alleged in a charge sheet filed in a Delhi court on Monday.

"Moin Qureshi has extorted Rs 5.75 crore from a businessman under promises of providing help in his family case with the CBI through the then director. One more businessman had to pay Rs 1.75 crore to Qureshi in lieu of the promise to help in a CBI case," the ED said in a statement making an apparent reference to former Central Bureau of Investigation chief AP Singh.

Qureshi is currently in jail and his BlackBerrry Messenger exchanges with Singh when he was heading CBI had created a furore. The meat exporter is also being probed by the Income Tax department for alleged tax evasion.

"During the course of investigation certain facts have emerged which constitute the omission and commission of certain acts on the part of certain public servants holding high positions in collusion with Qureshi causing huge amounts of illegal money transactions," ED has stated.

Singh has also been booked by ED under various criminal provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), apart from Qureshi and others.

"BBM (BlackBerry Messenger) messages between Qureshi and the accused persons involved in other criminal cases and also the persons who wanted to seek undue favours from the other investigating agencies of the government by getting them off the hook," the ED has alleged.

The agency said he (Qureshi) had been "regularly sending gifts to various government servants holding important and sensitive positions who obtained illegal gratification or pecuniary advantage either themselves or through their kith and kin."

ED has alleged that money was obtained in the name of government servants, political persons holding public office and they either obtained the money for themselves or through their kin.

"In support of this, two public witnesses came forward and gave their statements that they had paid around Rs 7.5 crore to Qureshi to help them in getting relief from the investigating agency, CBI," the ED said.

The ED investigation against Qureshi points out that through his company Ms India Premier Services Pvt. Ltd. (IPSPL) he applied for obtaining concessionaire agreement from airport operating company Ms DIAL (Delhi International Airport Limited) for running lounge services at the Terminal-3 of the Delhi airport but due to "reservations from intelligence agencies" it was shot down.

It has also been found that he has properties in Dubai and London, it said.

The ED alleged that Qureshi was involved in hawala transactions through Delhi-based hawala operators.