As part of its crackdown on high-value economic offences, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Lucknow zonal office, has secured an order from a special court declaring former Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLC Haji Mohammed Iqbal alias Bala a fugitive economic offender (FEO) under the provisions of the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018 (FEOA).
The order, passed on Tuesday by the court of special judge Rahul Prakash, also directs the confiscation of three sugar mills linked to the accused, with an estimated combined value of nearly ₹1,000 crore, senior ED officials said.
Haji Iqbal is the second person from Uttar Pradesh to be declared a fugitive economic offender, after Shine City Group promoter Rashid Naseem, who was declared the first FEO from the state by a Lucknow special court on April 30, 2025.
According to senior ED officers, the development marks a significant step in the agency’s efforts to ensure that persons accused of serious financial crimes cannot evade the judicial process by remaining outside India or refusing to submit to the jurisdiction of Indian courts.
“This is a major success for the Lucknow zonal office. The declaration under FEOA and the confiscation order send out a strong message that absconding economic offenders will not be allowed to enjoy the proceeds of crime,” a senior ED official said.
Officials said the order followed detailed submissions by the agency to establish that the accused had deliberately evaded the process of law and fulfilled the statutory requirements for being declared a fugitive economic offender under the Act.
The ED is currently investigating a case against the former BSP legislator under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). A senior official said the Lucknow unit had earlier attached properties worth ₹4,440 crore, including the Global University campus in the Mirzapur area of Saharanpur and extensive agricultural land allegedly linked to the accused.
Officials said the confiscation of the three sugar mills, valued at around ₹1,000 crore, is among the most significant asset actions undertaken by the ED in Uttar Pradesh in recent years.
The agency alleges that Haji Iqbal shifted his base to Dubai to evade arrest by law enforcement agencies after multiple criminal cases were registered against him. His four sons — Wajid, Afzal, Alishan and Javed — along with his brother Mehboob Ali, have been arrested in separate cases involving allegations of extortion, fraud and embezzlement of funds, officials said.
A reward of ₹1 lakh had also been announced by the Uttar Pradesh Police for information leading to the arrest of the former MLC.
Officials familiar with the probe said the latest court order is likely to strengthen parallel criminal and financial investigations underway against the accused and his associates.
“The objective is two-fold — ensure accountability before law and deprive offenders of the economic gains derived from illegal activities,” another senior ED officer said.
The Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, enacted in 2018, was specifically designed to deal with high-profile economic offenders who flee the country to avoid prosecution. Once a person is declared an FEO, the law permits confiscation of not only the proceeds of crime but also other properties owned by the declared offender. So far, around ten high-profile accused, including liquor baron Vijay Mallya and diamond merchant Nirav Modi, have been declared fugitive economic offenders by courts since the law came into force.
