Some evidence related to the property bought by Nawab Malik surfaced during the probe, officials said.
Nawab Malik, the second Maharashtra Minister to be arrested by a central probe agency in four months, faces charges related to a land deal linked to fugitive terrorist Dawood Ibrahim. The Enforcement Directorate claims Nawab Malik grabbed property in Mumbai's Kurla worth Rs 300 crore by paying just Rs 55 lakh in 2005, with the help of Dawood Ibrahim's sister, Haseena Parkar, and two associates.
Earlier this month, the National Investigation Agency registered a case against Dawood Ibrahim and his associates for alleged terror financing through hawala networks. There being no First Information Report in the land grab issue, the Enforcement Directorate took note of this case and initiated a money laundering probe.
The agency says a Dawood Ibrahim associate, Salim Patel, had taken control of the Kurla property from its original owners through Power of Attorney in 1999. One portion of this property was transferred to Nawab Malik and the other to Haseena Parkar. Later, in 2005, Nawab Malik paid Rs 55 lakh to Dawood Ibrahim's sister and bought the entire property, which is how he aided in the financing of Dawood Ibrahim's gang, the agency claims.
The Enforcement Directorate is investigating money-laundering linked to the underworld and had recently carried out multiple raids besides filing cases against the underworld. Iqbal Kaskar, Dawood Ibrahim's brother, was arrested in the case last week.
Some evidence showed transactions between Nawab Malik and associates of Dawood Ibrahim, said Enforcement Directorate sources.
The agency had searched Nawab Malik's residence briefly before taking him to its south Mumbai office. The minister was arrested after over five hours of questioning.
"He gave evasive replies and did not cooperate with us," said an official.
Nawab Malik, a five-time MLA, is the national spokesperson of Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which is a part of Maharashtra's Shiv Sena-led government. He is the minister in charge of minority affairs.
He is among the most vocal critics of the BJP and in recent months, became the face of the opposition's allegations at the Centre over the drugs arrest of megastar Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan by the Narcotics Control Bureau.
Reacting to the Enforcement Directorate's move, Sharad Pawar said, "Which case have they dug up? It is simple. They take the name of Dawood, especially if there is a Muslim activist (against whom a case is dug up)...There is no relation (between the activist concerned and underworld), but it is done."
Last week, the Enforcement Directorate had conducted raids at the home of Dawood Ibrahim's sister in Mumbai in the money laundering case. The agency had also questioned Dawood's nephew and Parkar's son Alishah Parkar and Chota Shakeel's henchman, Salim Qureshi, also Salim Fruit.