The Enforcement Directorate (ED), on Saturday, attached six properties belonging to former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah.

The action against the former union minister has been taken in connection with a probe into the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) case, said the sources.

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The attached properties are reported to be worth Rs 12 crore.

Among the attached properties are residences at Gupkar Road Srinagar, Tehsil Katipora, Tanmarg and Bhatindi Village, Sunjwan Jammu, an ED official said.

The ED has questioned Abdullah twice in connection with a case of alleged misappropriation of funds when he was the chairman of the J&K Cricket Association.

“We have attached six properties of Abdullah in which three are residential buildings while two are plots,” said an ED source while talking to IANS adding that the properties of the National Conference (NC) leader have been attached under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Earlier in 2018, the CBI had filed a charge sheet against Abdullah and three others for alleged misappropriation of about Rs 44 crore from 2002-11.

“Between 2006 and 2012, Abdullah misused his position to launder JKCA funds and more than Rs 45 crore appears to have been siphoned off including large cash withdrawals,” claimed the Enforcement Directorate.

“We knew it was coming. The letter from the Enforcement Directorate came after the Gupkar declaration. It is clear political vendetta after the ‘People’s Alliance’ was formed in Kashmir,” a National Conference spokesperson said reacting to the development alleging that the BJP government at the centre was using the agencies to vilify the new political formation because it couldn’t fight it politically.

National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah was earlier questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on October 19 this year for alleged irregularities in Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association when he was summoned to the ED office at Srinagar’s Raj Bagh for questioning. Abdullah was the president of the JKCA between 2001 and 2011 when the alleged financial irregularities took place.

The opposition parties had described it a “witch hunt” and “political vendetta” by the Modi government at the centre.

Former CM Omar Abdullah, who is the son of Farooq Abdullah, had described the ED action as “nothing less than political vendetta coming days after the formation of the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration”.

PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti too had reacted sharply to these developments by tweeting, “ED’s sudden summon to Farooq sahab displays the extent of GOIs nervousness about mainstream parties in J&K fighting as one unit. Also reeks of political vendetta & wont in the least blunt our collective resolve to fight for our rights.”

Peoples Conference leader Sajad Lone, who is also part of the newly formed alliance, had tweeted, “What a sorry state of affairs. Dr. Farooq sahib summoned by ED. Reeks of vendetta. Contrary to what they want coercively achieve this will certainly have the opposite impact.

Interestingly, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had tweeted in November, “The Gupkar Gang is going global! They want foreign forces to intervene in Jammu and Kashmir. The Gupkar Gang also insults India’s Tricolour. Do Sonia Ji and Rahul Ji support such moves of the Gupkar Gang? They should make their stand crystal clear to the people of India.”

The tweet drew a sharp rebuke from former chief ministers of J&K, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti.