The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is preparing to initiate an investigation under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), 1999 against Maulana Shamsul Huda Khan, a resident of Sant Kabir Nagar, Uttar Pradesh.
Shamsul Huda, who has been living in London for years, allegedly received around ₹4 crore in illegal foreign funding to promote Islamic religious activities. The investigation stems from an FIR registered at Khalilabad Police Station, following which the UP Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) had conducted a preliminary probe.
A Decade Abroad, But Salary Still Credited
What has shocked investigators is that despite residing in Britain since 2007, Shamsul continued to receive a government salary as an Assistant Teacher at Darul Uloom Ahle Sunnat Madarsa Ashrafia Mubarakpur, Azamgarh.
From 2007 to 2017, he was granted annual salary increments without any verification of his service record. In 2017, he was even granted voluntary retirement (VRS) and approved for a government pension — all while living overseas.
Citizenship, Travels, and Suspect Links
ATS findings suggest that Shamsul acquired British citizenship in 2013 and subsequently traveled extensively to Pakistan, several African nations, and Australia, ostensibly for religious preaching (tabeer).
Investigators also found that he maintained communication with certain suspicious individuals in Jammu and Kashmir, raising concerns about possible misuse of foreign funds.
The FIR and the Financial Probe Ahead
The District Minority Welfare Officer of Sant Kabir Nagar had filed the original complaint, which also invoked provisions of the FEMA Act, thereby bringing the case under the ED’s purview.
Sources indicate that the agency is now working to trace the origin and flow of the foreign funds, their intended use, and whether they violated India’s foreign exchange and anti-terror financing laws.
A Case That Exposes Systemic Loopholes
The case of Shamsul Huda Khan highlights how bureaucratic negligence allowed a government employee to draw a salary for years despite living abroad — while allegedly building an international funding network under the guise of religious activities.
As the ED gears up for a deeper financial investigation, the case underscores the intersection of public corruption, religious outreach, and cross-border financial crime — a combination increasingly under scrutiny in India’s evolving national security landscape.
