The Enforcement Directorate
on Wednesday booked Maharashtra minister and National Congress Party (NCP) spokesperson Nawab Malik for
his alleged connection with a money laundering case linked to gangster Dawood
Ibrahim
and the underworld. The central agency has reportedly established a
money trail linking Nawab Malik to the people connected to the underworld,
reported several news reports.

Also Read: Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik arrested by ED; claims political vendetta

The ED has also found proxy
investments of Nawab Malik, a five-time MLA from Mumbai’s Anushakti Nagar and
national spokesperson of the NCP, in certain real estate projects. The agency
will seek remand of Malik to interrogate him further.

Also Read: Who is Nawab Malik?

The 62-year-old minister,
who manages the Minority Development, Aukaf, Skill Development and
Entrepreneurship Minister of Maharashtra portfolios, has already been
questioned by the ED since 8 am on Wednesday. He was arrested in the afternoon.
Following the arrest, Nawab Malik was taken to the hospital for a routine
medical check-up.

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“Ladenge aur jeetenge
(Will fight and win),” the minister said while being taken to the
hospital.

According to an Indian
Express report, Malik was summoned by the ED in a case registered against
underworld don and terror financer Dawood Ibrahim, his brother Anees, Iqbal,
aide Chota Shakeel and others by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

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Since last week, the ED
teams started conducting search operations at various locations across Mumbai
to establish his connection with the underworld and Dawood Ibrahim.

It must be noted that in
January 2021, Malik’s son-in-law businessman Sameer Shabbir Khan was arrested
by the Sameer Wankhede-led Narcotics Control Bureau. In January, the NCB had
arrested a British national, Karan Sajnani and allegedly recovered 75 kg of
marijuana, 125 kg of marijuana-related material and many cannabis buds imported
from the US from him. The NCB claimed that based on his interrogation, they
found money exchanged between him and Khan. Following this, Khan was summoned
and then arrested on January 9. Khan was granted bail in September. Malik had
claimed that his son-in-law was framed.

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Soon after the arrest of
actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan in a drug case, Malik had stirred a national audience
by singlehandedly unearthing information that has raised serious questions
about due process in the NCB’s Cordelia cruise ship raid in which Aryan Khan
was among several arrested. He had also accused Wankhede of foisting false drug
cases and acting like a BJP pawn to harass political opponents.