Hasan Ali fears for life and says big names at stake

In a curious twist to the Hasan Ali case, the Pune stud farm owner, in a handwritten note to the Mumbai sessions court on Friday, said he feared for his life and that of his family members. Ali, though, did not name the source of this threat. The man, said to be India’s biggest tax evader, has been sent to judicial custody until April 8, following the expiry of his remand to the enforcement directorate (ED). Ali will be lodged in a Mumbai prison under extra security following his application in court.

“ He (Ali) believes those he has named during the week- long interrogation will try to harm him or his family to prevent him from revealing the bigger names,” a source said. Right before the court hearing, Ali drafted an application and submitted it to the principal sessions judge Swapna Joshi. Ali’s advocate, Ishwari Prasad Bagaria, admitted that his client fears for his life.

He, however, refused to confirm whether this threat was from Ali’s aide Kashinath Tapuriah and his associates.

“ The court has instructed the prison authority to ensure that he ( Ali) is given enough protection while in jail. We will make our move in the next hearing in the Supreme Court on Monday,” Bagaria said.

He, however, denied that Ali has made any public statement in court on exposing the big fishes. “ Whatever he had to say, he has told the ED.” Kolkata businessman Tapuriah, meanwhile, has been remanded to the ED custody until Wednesday. Sources investigating the money trail feel Tapuriah is one of the links that will take the investigation to the next level and help identify more beneficiaries of this money laundering activity.

“ Several businessmen, politicians and bureaucrats who Ali has laundered money for were introduced to him by Tapuriah. His interrogation holds the many missing links of the puzzle,” an officer said.