New Delhi: A special court on Wednesday sent Maharashtra Minority Affairs Minister Nawab Malik to Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody till March 3 in connection with a money laundering case linked to the activities of gangster Dawood Ibrahim.


The court allowed Nawab Malik to carry his medicines and get home food during his ED custody. The ED arrested the NCP leader after he was questioned for about six hours at the agnecy's office in south Mumbai's Ballard Estate area.



Malik told Special Judge RN Rokade that he was given the summons copy at the ED office.


READ | Nawab Malik Arrested By ED, NCP Leader Says 'Will Win, Won't Bow Down'


"ED officials came to my house early morning, took me to the ED office, detained me and later, recorded my statement. They gave me summon copy at the ED office and asked me to sign it," Nawab Malik told the court.


After Nawab Malik was arrested, he told the media, "We will fight and we will win. Will expose all." ED officials said Malik was arrested as he was "evasive" in his replies, PTI reported.


Malik was under ED lens over alleged links to some property deals with those convicted for the 1993 Mumbai blasts, including mastermind Dawood Ibrahim.


In its remand application, the ED told the court that Nawab Malik was "actively" involved in terror funding. It said interrogation of Malik might reveal crucial facts that are in his exclusive domain.


"In lieu of getting control illegal occupation of this property, he funded a prominent member of D-Gang...the details of this funding needs to be investigated," ED told the court, PTI reported.


The ED claimed that for usurping this property, "members of D-Gang and Nawab Malik connived together and executed several legal documents to put a facade of genuinity over this criminal act".


The ED conducted raids on February 15 in Mumbai in connection with the operations of the underworld, including alleged illegal property deals and hawala transactions linked to Dawood Ibrahim's aides.


The searches were conducted at 10 locations, including premises linked to Dawood Ibrahim's late sister Haseena Parkar, brother Iqbal Kaskar and Salim Qureshi, brother-in-law of gangster Chhota Shakeel.


Kaskar, who was already in jail, was arrested by the ED last week. It also questioned Salim Qureshi and Parkar's son.