The Income Tax department, under Project Panther, is unearthing benami properties of jailed gangster-turned politician Mukhtar Ansari.

I-T officials have quizzed Mukhtar’s associate, Ganesh Dutt Mishra and found that there are more benami properties in the name of Ansari in Punjab and other states than in Uttar Pradesh.

The I-T department sources said that as many as 50 benami properties belonging to Ansari and in the name of Ganesh Dutt Mishra worth over Rs 250 crore have been identified and will be attached soon.

Sources said that Ganesh Dutt Mishra initially denied having any acquaintanceship with Ansari and his family but was confronted with evidence and transactions made by him through the shell companies.

Sources in the department added that he spilled the beans and revealed a list of benami properties of Ansari –- not only in Uttar Pradesh but also in Punjab and Delhi. The officials said that they will initiate action soon.

The I-T officials said that the role of Ganesh Dutt Mishra had first surfaced during the probe into financial transactions of Aaghaaz Constructions in which Mukhtar’s wife, Afshan Ansari holds 1,500 shares, father-in-law Jamshed Raza holds 3,425 shares and their MLA son Abbas Ansari holds 19,170 shares.

A loan was taken by the company in the name of Ganesh Dutt Mishra worth Rs 1.06 crore from Union Bank of India, and a property in the name of Mishra worth Rs 90 lakh was mortgaged.

Recently, Mukhtar Ansari’s benami property worth Rs 2 crore was confiscated from Ghazipur.

An I-T team from Lucknow had attached two pieces of land –- measuring 0.117 and 0.254 hectare –- located in the Kapurpur area of the city in the name of Ganesh Dutt Mishra.

The I-T officials said that they had started a probe after a PMLA case was registered against Mukhtar, his wife and son in 2021.

(The story has been published via a syndicated feed with a modified headline.)