LUCKNOW, Feb. 25 -- The Enforcement Directorate's (ED) Lucknow zonal office has filed a prosecution complaint (charge sheet) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 against former Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA Arif Anwar Hashmi and his wife, Rozi Salma, in connection with an alleged money-laundering case involving proceeds of crime worth Rs.8.24 crore, senior officials said on Tuesday. According to ED officials, the complaint was filed on Monday before the court of the special judge, CBI/ED (Court No. 2), in Lucknow. The agency initiated its investigation based on multiple FIRs registered by the Uttar Pradesh Police against Hashmi and his associates under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Following investigation, the state police filed several charge sheets establishing offences including illegal encroachment, forgery, cheating and criminal conspiracy, officials said. The probe revealed substantial unaccounted cash deposits in the bank accounts of Hashmi and his wife that were grossly disproportionate to their declared sources of income. During the investigation, the accused failed to satisfactorily explain the source of the deposits, including funds used for the purchase of immovable properties, the ED said in a statement issued on Tuesday. According to the agency, the accused generated proceeds of crime amounting to Rs.8.24 crore through the commission of scheduled offences under the PMLA. During the course of the investigation, the ED provisionally attached 21 immovable properties, including agricultural land, residential plots and flats, valued at Rs.8.24 crore. The attachment was made through a provisional order dated September 24, 2024. The properties are located in Balrampur, Lucknow and Gonda districts. The attachment was subsequently confirmed by the PMLA adjudicating authority on March 3, 2025. Further investigation is underway, officials added. Hashmi is a two-time former SP MLA who represented Sadullahnagar (2007-2012) and Utraula (2012-2017). He lost to BJP's Ram Pratap Verma in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. Police describe Hashmi as a "land mafia" figure in the region and allege he used his political influence to illegally acquire land. He is listed as a history-sheeter with the Balrampur police and has more than 30 criminal cases registered against him, including allegations of land grabbing using forged documents, including land near the Sadullahnagar police station....