Insight Bureau: Maharashtra cabinet minister and senior NCP leader Nawab Malik who was picked up from his residence by the Enforcement Directorate sleuths this morning, has been arrested following interrogation.
He was earlier taken to ED’s Mumbai office. ED officials arrested him after hours of interrogation over a money laundering probe linked to the activities of the Mumbai underworld.
“I have been arrested, but won’t be scared. We will fight and win,” said Nawab Malik while being taken away for medical examination. He was the second Maharashtra Minister after Anil Deshmukh to be arrested.
Earlier, on the interrogation of Nawab Malik, Sanjay Raut said that Nawab Malik is the cabinet minister of Maharashtra government. “The manner in which the ED has taken him is a challenge for the MVA government. ED is investigating 20-25 years old cases, but BJP leader Kirit Somaiya himself had complained to ED about many such people who have joined BJP today. What happened to those cases? Was there any investigation done? We will again demand investigation of all these cases.”
Sanjay Raut further added that how does the ED reach the house of the one who is bringing out the truth and raising its voice against the BJP? Why are the leaders of TMC, Samajwadi Party along with Shiv Sena the only target of ED? “After 2024, BJP will be probed too,” Sanjay warned.
NCP state president Jayant Patil has expressed displeasure over the action of ED. He said that without giving any prior information, Nawab Malik has been taken to the ED office for questioning, the way BJP leaders had been exposed in the past by Nawab Malik. The same is being avenged now.
Notably, the ED’s move came after registration of a new case and raids conducted by it on February 15 in Mumbai in connection with the operations of the underworld, linked alleged illegal property deals and hawala transactions.
The searches were conducted at 10 locations, including premises linked to 1993 Mumbai blasts mastermind and fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim’s late sister Haseena Parkar, brother Iqbal Kaskar and Salim Qureshi alias Salim Fruit, brother-in-law of gangster Chhota Shakeel.
Kaskar, who was already in jail, has been arrested by the agency last week. It also questioned Parkar’s son.