<div><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has launched searches at 10 different premises in Ahmedabad as part of an investigation into an alleged ₹100 crore fraud involving Waqf Board properties. The key accused, Salim Jummakhan Pathan, is alleged to have impersonated a trustee of the Gujarat State Waqf Board and siphoned off large sums in rent collected from Waqf-owned properties.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The crackdown follows a police FIR filed at Gaekwad Haveli Police Station, where five individuals had already been arrested for falsely claiming to be Waqf Board trustees.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The accused reportedly collected rent from high-value Waqf properties, including the historic Kaanch Ni Masjid (Glass Mosque) and the Shah Bada Qasam Trust in Ahmedabad's Jamalpur area. Police investigations confirmed that these individuals had never been officially appointed as trustees by the Waqf Board.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Despite lacking legal authority, the group allegedly posed as authorised representatives, collecting rent from tenants occupying Waqf properties and even from commercial establishments built on land leased to the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC).</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">One focal point of the investigation is a plot initially allotted by the Waqf Board to AMC for building a school. The school was structurally damaged during the 2001 Gujarat earthquake. In 2009, the accused allegedly demolished what remained of the structure and began leasing the land for commercial purposes. Salim Pathan is said to have opened an office under the name "Sodagar Construction" in one of the shops and leased out the remaining spaces.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Officials say that none of the rent collected was deposited into the Waqf trust&rsquo;s official account or reported to the AMC, resulting in the misuse of both public and religious assets.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The ED&rsquo;s operation is part of a wider probe into money laundering and misappropriation of charitable assets. Further raids and arrests are expected as the investigation deepens.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">This case also comes shortly after the enactment of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, which introduced key reforms aimed at improving transparency in the administration of Waqf properties. The law now mandates inclusion of non-Muslim members and Muslim women in Waqf governance bodies to encourage broader representation and accountability.</span></div>

Accused posed as fake trustees to illegally collect rent from Waqf properties, including a mosque and trust land leased to AMC

ED Raids Rock Ahmedabad in ₹100 Crore Waqf Board Fraud Probe

Accused posed as fake trustees to illegally collect rent from Waqf properties, including a mosque and trust land leased to AMC

May 6, 2025 | 12:05 IST