On Thursday (7th March), the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids on the premises of Samajwadi Party MLA Irfan Solanki in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur. The ED team arrived from Lucknow and also raided the premises of Irfan’s brother, Rizwan under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
#WATCH | Uttar Pradesh | ED raids underway at the residence of jailed Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA Irfan Solanki in Kanpur. The ED team also reached the residence of Irfan's brother Rizwan Solanki Both brothers are in jail. Details awaited. pic.twitter.com/lomlnAdqSF
— ANI (@ANI) March 7, 2024
According to reports, the probe agency disconnected the CCTV feeds at Solanki’s premises as soon as the raids started.
Irfan Solanki has been in Maharajganj jail since a year for setting fire to a woman’s house to occupy her property. So far, 17 cases have been lodged against Solanki.
Solanki previously applied to vote in the Rajya Sabha elections. However, the judge dismissed his application. In January, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav stated that his party had complete faith in the judiciary but not the state administration.
He also expressed hope that his party’s leaders, including Azam Khan, Irfan Solanki, and Ramakant Yadav, who according to him have been “framed in fake cases,” would get justice from the court.
The central agency is also conducting raids at builder Haji Wasi’s residence. Wasi, a close associate of Irfan Solanki, is accused of havig carried out an arson attack in Kanpur in 2022.
Solanki also sheltered a group of Bangladeshis in Kanpur by using his position to authorise them as Indian nationals. Fake passports, aadhaar cards and other documents were recovered from the illegals.
Notably, SP MLA Irfan Solanki and his brother have been charged under IPC Sections 147 (rioting), 327 (voluntarily causing harm to extort property), 427 (mischief causing damage), 386 (extortion by putting a person in fear of death or grievous harm), 436 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy house), 504 (intentional insult), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 120B. (criminal conspiracy). Irfan is an MLA from Sisamau in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh.
