Hassan Ali’s links with Congress Spokeswomen Renuka Choudhry exposed

NEW DELHI: Kolkata-based businessman Kashinath Tapuriah, associate and co-accused in theHasan Ali multi-crore money laundering case, has in a series of statements made to Enforcement Directorate named several politicians the alleged hawala operator was close to. 

In 2000, IHassan Ali Khan, gifted a Rs 1.2 crore diamond to Congress politician from Andhra Pradesh, Renuka Chowdhury. .Tapuriah says, “I had taken a diamond from Soir Jewellers in Mumbai, owned by building contractor Abbas Naqvi, to keep with me. (It) cost around Rs 1.2 crore. Khan took it saying he would give me the money or the diamond within three months. He told me that he wanted to give the diamond to an important person and referred to Renuka Chowdhury Khan had told me that she was a very close friend. I was never paid for the diamond…” Tapuriah said that he met Chowdhury through Congress leader Jagdish Tytler. Despite repeated attempts by India Today to contact her, Chowdhury was unavailable for comment.

Other politicians believed to have been named by Tapuria are former Commonwealth Games chief Suresh Kalmadi, expelled Samajwadi MP Jaya Prada, Congress MP Subbirami Reddy, ex-MP AS Chaudhary and the late Vijaya Bhaskar Reddy, who was the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh.

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