New Delhi, Apr 1 A special PMLA court in Lucknow has declared a former Uttar Pradesh MLC a "fugitive economic offender" and ordered the confiscation of three sugar mills, "controlled" by him, worth about Rs 1,000 crore following the ED's investigation into a money laundering case against him.
On Tuesday, according to the order accessed by PTI, Special Judge Rahul Prakash of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court declared Mohd Iqbal an offender under the Fugitive Economic Offender Act (FEOA) of 2018.
Three sugar mills, which have an aggregate value of Rs 995.75 crore, have been ordered for confiscation by the court, the order said.
The mills were acquired by Iqbal through a network of "shell" (dummy) companies by routing funds generated from "illegal" mining activities, according to the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
The agency claimed these mills were acquired at "grossly undervalued" prices generating proceeds of crime and were, therefore, attached under the PMLA.
It informed the court that the former MLC fled India and is currently based in Dubai.
The agency said Iqbal did not respond to multiple summons it issued, apart from a non-bailable warrant (NBW) issued against him by a court in November, 2025.
The Union government enacted the FEOA to bring to justice those who fled India to evade the law after committing fraud involving at least Rs 100 crore.
Iqbal, who hails from the Saharanpur district of the state, served as a Member of the UP Legislative Council from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) between 2010 and 2016.
The ED filed a money-laundering case against Iqbal and others in June 2019, taking cognisance of a criminal complaint filed by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) and cases registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) concerning illegal sand mining and the sale of sugar mills.
The Supreme Court had in 2016 directed the CBI to conduct a probe against Iqbal after a public interest litigation (PIL) was filed before it, alleging that the former legislator was indulging in corruption and money laundering.
The sugar mills were sold to Mohd Iqbal and his family members at a "throwaway" price of only Rs 60.28 crore through the disinvestment/ sale process in 2010-11, the agency had earlier said.
