Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday recorded statements of some functionaries of the Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) headed by controversial preacher Dr. Zakir Naik.
The ED had earlier this month registered a case against Dr. Naik and the IRF based on a report submitted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
The NIA had last year filed a case of its own against the Islamic preacher and his organisation under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. The ED, which registered an offence under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, is looking into the source of the IRF’s funding and its financial transactions.
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According to sources, a few top-level functionaries of the IRF appeared before the ED at its Mumbai office in response to the summons issued by the agency earlier this month.
“We recorded statements of the IRF members and made inquiries with them pertaining to the financial transactions of the IRF. We might call them again for questioning after corroborative investigations are made into the statements given by them on Tuesday,” an ED official said.
Dr. Naik, who is abroad, first came under the scanner after it came to light that one of the alleged perpetrators of the 2016 Dhaka attacks was following him on social media and was influenced by his preaching.
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The Maharashtra government instructed the Mumbai Police to conduct an inquiry into the content and nature of his speeches, while the Central government set up an inquiry of its own. Based on the reports of these inquiries, the NIA registered an offence against Dr. Naik and the IRF, while the government banned the IRF, declaring it unlawful.