Nawab Malik illegally occupied Mumbai shop in 1992: Co-accused to ED

Sardar Khan, one of the co-accused in the money laundering case against Nawab Malik, said that the Maharashtra minister had illegally occupied a shop in Kurla in 1992.

The 1993 Mumbai blast convict, Sardar Shahvali Khan alias Sardar Khan, whose name figures as an accused in the Enforcement Directorate's case against Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik, in his statement said that since Malik was the muscleman of the locality, he illegally occupied Kurla General Store using his clout and muscle power.

Sardar Khan’s statements, recorded by the ED in Aurangabad central prison on December 14, 2021,are part of the chargesheet filed by the agency last month.

In his statement, Khan said that before usurping the Goawala compound in Kurla, Malik had first taken over the shop ‘Kural General store’, which was owned by a person named Kanchwala and used as a godown.

In 1992, Malik and his brother Aslam Malik, according to Khan, took advantage of the flood situation in Kurla and occupied the property illegally. As Malik was muscleman of the locality, Kanchwala could not do anything and later on, this tenancy was regularized in the name of Aslam Malik, said Khan.

In another statement, Khan interalia stated that Salim Patel was close associate of Haseena Parkar (deceased sister of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim) and was working as a bodyguard cum driver of Parkar. Later on, Khan said that every decision regarding this property was taken by Salim Patel at the instructions of Haseena Aapa; In fact, the actual owner of this property was Haseena Aapa only.

There were many disputes with this property such as illegal encroachments and irregular rent payments. In addition, other land grabbing mafias were also eying this property, is what Khan told the agency.The ED officials had also showed Khan a complaint registered on January 10, 1995 filed by his brother Rehman Shahvali Khan against Malik before the small Causes Court for threatening Munira Plumber, who owned the disputed property in Kurla which forms the crux of case against Malik.Khan stated that his brother Rehman was the rent collecter on behalf of Plumber for the Goawala Compound. Malik was trying to get into this tenanted property namely "Kurla General Store" which was closed at that time and situated at Goawala Compound; his brother Rehman Khan tried to stop that and he received threat from Malik. Later on, Malik did occupy the property through his brother Aslam Malik.Sardar Khan further submitted in his statement recorded under section 50 of PMLA that both Mailk and Parkar were trying to grab larger pie of the property. Plumber had received some threats and had become totally uninterested in the property.

Therefore, both of them saw an opportunity to hold the entire property. Khan said that Malik, however, had taken over a company called Solidus Investments which had a tenanted property on the compound for which Mailk's family became the lease.To resolve the issue amicably, several rounds of meetings were held between Malik, Aslam Malik and Haseena Parkar in which he (Sardar Khan) was also present in at least couple of the meetings. Parkar and Malik reached to the agreement that the tenanted property of Solidus Investments will be converted into ownership by using the Power of Attorney given to Salim Patel.In lieu of that, Parkar will own rest of properties through Patel. As Khan's brother (Rehman) and he himself were the rent collectors for the property, he received a tenanted property in his name of a covered area of around 378 sq metres for leave and licence for around 33 months for a rent of Rs. 1000 per month with Rs. 3000 deposit in 2003.