Nawab Malik, family have links with underworld, alleges Fadnavis

Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday alleged that state minister Nawab Malik and his family members entered into land deals with people associated with the underworld.

Speaking to reporters in Mumbai, Fadnavis also claimed he did not have this information earlier (when he was the state's chief minister).

The BJP leader said had he found this previously, he would have exposed Nationalist Congress Party leader Malik earlier.

Notably, Malik earlier this month sought to link the Bharatiya Janata Party with an alleged narcotics dealer by tweeting the latter's photograph with the former chief minister's wife Amruta Fadnavis.

Malik had also posted a similar photograph of Devendra Fadnavis with alleged the drug dealer.

The former CM had then said he will make revelations about Malik's 'underworld links' after Diwali and also share the same with NCP president Sharad Pawar.

On Tuesday, Fadnavis said, "Nawab Malik and his family members were part of a company which purchased land in Kurla (area of Mumbai) at a very low rate by making some fictitious documents.

"There are four such land purchase deals where I can firmly say that Malik has entered into land deals with the underworld."

He claimed the land was purchased from Sardar Shahwali Khan and Saleem Ishaq Patel, who were convicted in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case.

"Why did you do business with the killers of Mumbaikars?" the BJP leader asked.

"Another question arises that why did these two accused persons sell their land to Malik? They were about to get convicted under then TADA (Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Prevention Act). As per that legal provision, all the properties of convicts get attached and come under government control. Did Malik help them to avoid such land on prime location from getting attached?" he asked.

The LoP claimed Nawab Malik's son Faraz Malik had signed the agreement documents of the Kurla land deal with Sardar Shahwali Khan and Saleem Ishaq Patel.

"I did not have this information earlier (during chief ministerial tenure). Had I found it, I would have exposed him (Nawab Malik) earlier. I will submit these documents to appropriate authorities like the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation), ED (Enforcement Directorate) or NIA (National Investigation Agency).

"I will also share a copy of it with NCP chief Sharad Pawar," he said.

Malik has since last month levelled a series of allegations against Narcotics Control Bureau's (NCB) Mumbai zonal director Sameer Wankhede after he led a raid on a cruise ship, following which actor Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan and some others were arrested.

The NCP leader's son-in-law Sameer Khan was also arrested by the NCB earlier this year in an alleged drugs case and was later granted bail by a court.

On November 1, Devendra Fadnavis had said Malik's attack on the NCB was an attempt to put pressure on officials of the anti-drugs agency so that the case against his son-in-law is weakened.