Sources said Khan had travelled to Pakistan and other countries multiple times, and his foreign connections are being closely examined. (File Photo)
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has registered a money laundering case against Islamic preacher Maulana Shamsul Huda Khan, who is now based in the United Kingdom, and initiated an investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), officials aware of the development said on Thursday.
The case stems from a First Information Report (FIR) lodged by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad, which had flagged alleged financial irregularities and suspected links to radical groups. Khan, originally from Azamgarh, served as an assistant teacher in a government-aided madrasa in 1984.
Khan is accused of promoting radical ideology under the guise of religious education. The ED is also probing his alleged links with UK-based radical organisations and his purported association with Dawat-e-Islami, a Pakistan-based group known for its fundamentalist outreach.
According to agency sources, Khan acquired British citizenship in 2013, but allegedly continued to draw a salary from the Uttar Pradesh government until 2017, despite neither being an Indian citizen nor performing his teaching duties while residing abroad.
During the past two decades, a source said he reportedly travelled to several foreign countries and is alleged to have received substantial funds amounting to several crores of rupees through eight bank accounts maintained in India. “It has further been found that he acquired more than a dozen immovable properties, with an estimated value exceeding Rs 30 crore,” the source said.
These properties, spread across different locations, are now under scrutiny for possible links to money laundering and unaccounted foreign transactions.
“Probe has also revealed that he had established two madrasas in Azamgarh and Sant Kabir Nagar, both later deregistered by state authorities for alleged violation of norms. The ED’s probe seeks to unravel the overseas funding channels tied to these institutions and the broader network of religious entities connected to Khan,” the source said.