Moin Qureshi PMLA case: ED arrests businessman Sana Satish Babu in connection with money-laundering probe. Details here

The Enforcement Directorate on late Friday night arrested Sana Satish Babu, a Hyderabad-based businessman, in connection with an ongoing money-laundering probe against controversial meat exporter Moin Qureshi and others. As per the police officials, Satish Babu has been arrested under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). As per reports, Sana Satish was grilled by the probe agency for several hours after being arrested. 

Satish Babu is the accused in the case, on whose written statement last October an FIR was registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against its former special director Rakesh Asthana. The former special director was booked on charges of corruption by the CBI amid the clash between the number one man in the investigative agency -- the then CBI director Alok Verma -- and the number two, Rakesh Asthana himself. 

During the interrogation, Sana Satish Babu had claimed that Rakesh Asthana had demanded a bribe of Rs five crore to grant relief in the case. 

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In 2017, the ED has registered a criminal case against Moin Qureshi under the anti-money laundering law for alleged corruption in connivance with government officials.

Rakesh Asthana was leading the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in the Moin Qureshi case. He has sought the arrest of Satish Babu in September 2018, accusing him giving illegal gratification to former CBI Director Alok Verma for bail-out in the case. However, tables turned upside down on October 15, 2018, when Sana's complaint led to a case against Rakesh Asthana and other officers involved in the case. Satish's statement led to internal conflict within the investigative agency, which later led to the removal of both No 1 and No 2 of CBI. An array of CBI officials were transferred in the aftermath.

Asthana was booked on the allegations of criminal conspiracy, corruption and criminal misconduct under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

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(With PTI inputs)