Mumbai: In a major development, Nationalist Congress Party National Spokesperson and Maharashtra Minister Nawab Malik was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) here Wednesday morning.
A team of ED sleuths, is grilling Malik — who had made a series of exposes against the former Narcotics Control Bureau Mumbai head Sameer Wankhede — though it was not immediately clear which specific case is being probed.
Malik is the second NCP minister to come under the ED scanner after the former Home Minister Anil Deshmukh went to the agency on November 1, 2021, was arrested early the next morning, and remains in custody till now.
Last week, the National Investigation Agency had raided certain properties linked with the absconder mafia don Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar and his relatives in Mumbai.
Five days ago, the ED arrested the don’s younger brother, Iqbal Ibrahim Kaskar in connection with a money-laundering case lodged against him.
NCP Spokesperson Vidya Chavan and Shiv Sena leader Kishore Tiwari strongly condemned the manner in which the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party is abusing the official machinery and central agencies to silence political opponents who dare to speak against them.
However, BJP’s legislators Atul Bhatkalkar and Ram Kadam pointed out that the party had already submitted full details of an alleged business deal between Malik and the mafia don.
Bhatkalkar demanded that if the business deals by Malik are proved in the investigations or if the NCP leader is found to be acting as a ‘front’ for the mafia, then he must be arrested.
Anticipating ‘a call’ from the agency, Malik had earlier stated that he would welcome the ED whenever they come.