Controversial meat exporter Moin Qureshi was today sent to judicial custody by a city court for two weeks in a money laundering case after the agency said he may hamper the ongoing probe if released.
Special Judge Arun Bharadwaj sent the accused to jail till September 22, following which he moved a bail application saying he was not required for custodial interrogation and no purpose would be served by keeping him in further custody.
The court sought a response from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Qureshi's application by September 16.
During the hearing, ED's special public prosecutor N K Matta sought 14-day judicial custody for Qureshi, who was produced on the expiry of his 14-day police custody, the maximum which could be awarded.
The advocate told the court that more properties acquired through the proceeds of crime have surfaced.
He told the court that a number of public servants and private persons were yet to be quizzed in the case, besides two hawala operators and the proceeds of crime and the money trail were yet to be unearthed.
The agency told the court that if the accused was released, he may hamper the ongoing investigation.
In his bail plea, moved after the court remanded him in judicial custody, Qureshi claimed he was falsely implicated and there was no possibility of him fleeing from justice as he had deep roots in the society.
The application said the evidence was old, stale and documentary in nature and the arrest was malafide, arbitrary and illegal.
The agency had earlier claimed that "the witnesses have confirmed in their statements that they have delivered crores of rupees for Qureshi and his associates through his employees and one of the witnesses has stated that nearly Rs 1.75 crore have been exported by the accused from him and his friend in lieu of the help provided to him in a CBI case."
It had also alleged that Qureshi was involved in hawala transactions through Delhi hawala operators.
According to the agency, Qureshi was arrested here on August 25 night under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after the police alleged he was "not cooperating in the probe".
Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court today directed the ED to withdraw within a week its look out circular (LOC) against controversial meat exporter Moin Qureshi's wife, who was summoned in connection with another money laundering probe against her husband.
The court passed the direction after the ED submitted that it was ready to withdraw the LOC with a condition that Qureshi's wife, Nasreen Qureshi, would inform it whenever she goes abroad.
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