Meerut: The Uttar Pradesh Police has identified alleged illegal property worth crores of rupees of former minister and BSP leader Yaqub Qureshi, who was arrested in January this year in illegal meat processing case, officials said. Meerut police has made public the details of Yakub's illegally acquired property worth Rs 31.70 crore, which will be confiscated in coming days, SSP Rohit Singh Sajwan said.
The former minister is currently lodged in Sonbhadra District Jail. The SSP said that Yakub Qureshi's assets worth Rs 31 crore 70 lakh have been identified adding the process of confiscation of the property is going on. The SSP said a report was sent in this regard to the District Magistrate, who has given his approval for the attachment of the property.
Following the DM's approval, CO Kithore has been appointed as the administrator of the operation. The property to be confiscated includes land, buildings besides 32 vehicles including luxury cars and trucks. It can be recalled that Qureshi was arrested along with son Imran on January 7 in the illegal meat business case.
Also read: UP: BSP ex-minister Yaqub Qureshi, his son arrested in Delhi in meat business case
The two were arrested from Delhi's Chandni Mahal area by Uttar Pradesh police with the help of Delhi Police. Yaqub's second son Firoz was also arrested by the police earlier. The case dates back to March 30, 2022, when meat worth Rs 5 crore was seized in the meat processing factory of the former minister located at Allipur on Hapur Road, Meerut.
Both sons of Yakub Qureshi, Imran and Firoz are currently out on bail. In December, a case under the Gangster Act was registered against Yakub Qureshi, his wife Shamjida Begum, sons Firoz and Imran along with managers Mohit Tyagi, Mujeeb and Faizab in the said case. Yaqub is not new to controversies. Yakub Qureshi's name first came into limelight when in 2006 he announced a reward of Rs 51 crore to anyone who beheaded the Danish cartoonist for a blasphemous cartoon of the prophet of Islam.
In February 2011, Yakub Qureshi slapped constable Chahan Singh Balyan at Hapur airport in Meerut for not allowing his vehicle to proceed. The Chief Medical Officer of Meerut had found a hospital owned by Haji Yakub Qureshi allegedly running without a license which was sealed later. A school owned by the Qureshi family in Meerut's Shastri Nagar was also closed by the authorities.
It is said that till 1989, Yakub Qureshi used to sell lemons on the streets of Meerut. He later got into the business of jaggery followed by property dealing and later became a minister in the Mayawati government.
