Unani Doctor accused of raising Rs 90 lakh through fake Gaza relief drive

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

Police have uncovered a major fund-collection fraud carried out under the name of Palestine Gaza relief work. Unani doctor Syed Babar Ali (Badam Galli in Kiradpura), allegedly collected over Rs 90 lakh from hundreds of people through an unauthorised organisation named Imam Ahmed Raza Foundation.

According to police inspector Sambhaji Pawar of the Economic Offences Wing (EOW), investigators will now question the donors who contributed to this fund. Banks have also been asked to share detailed transaction records for scrutiny. The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) discovered the scam while monitoring online activities linked to various organisations after the Delhi blast case. Officers found that the Imam Ahmed Raza Foundation had circulated QR codes on social media to raise money for Gaza relief, even though the organisation is not registered. Babar allegedly promoted these appeals through YouTube and other platforms, despite having no authority to collect funds for foreign nationals. He actually runs another group called Raza Empowerment Foundation.

Only fraud charges filed so far

Further checks showed multiple transactions, including Rs 10 lakh transferred to a foreign website. While the ATS has filed cheating charges against Babar, officials clarified that no anti-national links have surfaced so far. Central agencies are now examining the overseas payments in detail.

Donors to be questioned; bank correspondence initiated

Meanwhile, the EOW has started gathering donor information and has written to banks to trace each transaction. Officials also suspect that Babar accepted significant cash contributions, and he will be questioned about those dealings as well.