Attack in public, donate in secret; Rana Ayyub's donation to PM Cares baffles netizens [details]

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday said it has attached Rs 1.77 crore of journalist Rana Ayyub in connection with a money laundering case lodged against her for allegedly misusing funds collected in the name of help and charity through a website -- ketto.com. An ED official said Ayyub had allegedly misused the funds, and diverted them into another account for personal expenses. ED sources said she cheated donors in a pre-planned manner.

Ayyub had opened a Fixed Deposit (FD) of Rs 50 Lakh, the money was collected through campaign, and diverted into FD from the savings account through net banking. The funds were collected in the saving accounts of Rana Ayyub, her sister and her father.

"Funds totalling to Rs. 2,69,44,680/-were raised on Ketto by Rana Ayyub. These funds were withdrawn in the bank accounts of her sister/father. Out of this amount, Rs.72,01,786/- was withdrawn in her own bank account , Rs. 37,15,072/- was withdrawn in her sister Iffat Shaikh's account and Rs 1,60,27,822/- was withdrawn in her father Mohd Ayyub Waquif's bank account. All these funds from her sister's and father's account were subsequently transferred in her own account," the ED order states.

Later, on the basis of this FIR, the ED initiated a money-laundering probe. Now, the ED has attached Rs 1.77 crore of Rana Ayyub, alleging that this money was part of the proceeds of crime.

Why donate to PM Cares, CM Relief Fund? Netizens react

As per the provisional attachment order by the ED, an FIR was lodged against Ayyub at Indirapuram Police Station on September 7, 2021. She was booked under sections 403, 406, 418, 420 of the Indian Pennal Code (IPC), read with section 66D of Information Technology Act.

Among other revelation, the ED's order also points out that Ayyub had donated to PM Cares fund, the very fund she publicly criticised and questioned. A whopping Rs 74,50 lakhs were donated to PM Cares and CM Relief Fund, which has raised many questions.

"Investigations disclose that instead of utilizing the funds for the relief work, Ms. Rana Ayyub parked some of the funds by opening a separate current bank account. Ms. Rana Ayyub also created a Fixed Deposit of Rs. 50 Lakh from the funds raised on Ktto and subsequently did not utilize these for relief works. She deposited a total of Rs 74.50 lakhs in PM Cares fund and CM Relief Fund," the order said.

This revelation has startled many, who have raised questions on Twitter while pointing out Ayyub's old tweets and statements. Check out some reactions below: