Maharashtra Minister Nawab Malik Arrested, Case Linked To Dawood Ibrahim
Maharashtra Minority Affairs Minister Nawab Malik was on Wednesday arrested after questioning by the Enforcement Directorate (ED)
In connection with a money laundering case linked to the activities of the Mumbai underworld, fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim and his aides. Defiantly waving his fist in the air to the waiting media persons, Mr Malik said he won’t bow down.
“We will fight and win, and expose everyone,” he said as he stepped out of the probe agency’s office. He was then taken by ED officials in a vehicle for a medical check-up.
According to sources, Mr Malik was grilled over alleged transactions with gangster Dawood’s associates and land deals with them. He was evasive and didn’t cooperate with the investigation, the ED said.
Recently, the ED had carried out multiple raids and also took custody of Dawood Ibrahim’s brother Iqbal Kaskar in the same case. According to sources, some evidence related to property purchased by Nawab Malik has surfaced during the ongoing investigation.
Amid an escalating war of words between Maharashtra’s Maha Vikas Agadhi government and the Centre, the 62-year-old Minister was taken to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office this morning for questioning.
The central probe agency’s officials reached the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader’s home at 6 am where he was questioned for an hour. He was then brought to the ED office and questioned again for close to eight hours.
While Mr Malik was being questioned, NCP workers protested near the party’s headquarters, located close to the ED office in south Mumbai, and shouted slogans slamming the BJP-led central government and the probe agency.
The workers were seen heading towards the ED’s office but were stopped by police personnel near the party’s office. They then did a sit-in protest.
“The protest is against the unjust questioning of Nawab Malik as he was exposing the BJP+NCB+CBI+ED nexus on a daily basis. We will not be cowed down. NCP will keep exposing BJP and all central agencies,” party spokesperson Sanjay Tatkare said.
Mr Malik had recently made headlines for attacking the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede accusing him of several service-related wrongdoings after the anti-drugs officer led the raid on a cruise ship on Mumbai’s shore in October last year and arrested 20 people including superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan.
Mr Malik’s son-in-law Sameer Khan was also arrested in a drugs case by the NCB’s Mumbai unit last year.
Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut and NCP chief Sharad Pawar have accused the central agencies of being politically motivated and claimed that anyone who speaks against the Centre and its probe agencies is targeted.
The BJP has rubbished allegations of political vendetta and accused Mr Malik of buying land from gangster Dawood Ibrahim’s aide. BJP MLA from Mumbai’s Ghatkopar West Ram Kadam said in a video statement that this is not about a party or an individual.
Maharashtra government’s minister bought land from Dawood’s dreaded gang member, he alleged and added that since the land was about to get seized by the government, the minister bought it at nominal rates from a bomb blast accused.
“When all documents are out and the ED acts on them, the Maharashtra government and its minister says that the action is an act of revenge. Dawood brutally killed thousands in bomb blasts…the gang member from who the land was bought is accused in the blasts…can a nationalist buy his property?” he said.