BJP leader and former Mumbai Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday, November 9, accused NCP minister Nawab Malik of engaging in dubious property deals with two Bombay blast convicts.

He alleged that Nawab Malik, through a company, Solidus Investments Pvt Limited, owned by his family, bought a prime property in Kurla, by undervaluing the land. “The property was bought from 1993 Bombay blast convicts Salim Patel and Sardar Shahab Ali Khan at throwaway prices,” he said. The deal was executed between 2003 and 2005, he said.

The 1993 bombings marked the first in a series of three major terrorist attacks over 15 years, all of them aimed at the heart of India’s commercial capital. It was the first time Pakistan came close to being declared a sponsor of terrorism.

He said Salim Patel, Haseena Parkar (sister of Dawood Ibrahim) ran a land-grabbing racket. The documents for power of attorney were made in the name of Salim Patel.

Devendra Fadnavis said that the deal for the property was made for Rs 25 per square foot and was actually bought at the rate of Rs 15 per square foot. Whereas a nearby market plot had been transacted at Rs 2053/sqft. He claimed that one of the signatories of the deal was Faraz Malik, a relative of Nawab Malik.

Fadnavis alleged that the total deal for the nearly 3-acre plot was Rs 30 lakh but the amount paid was only Rs 20 lakh. “The amount went to the accounts of Salim Patel and SA Khan,” he said.

He claimed that the deal was done only to protect the properties of the Bombay blast convicts, who were then accused under TADA.

“We shall send all the evidence to the competent authorities. I shall also send it to NCP chief Sharad Pawar to show him what his ministers are up to,” he said.