Former Union minister Praful Patel has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate, which is investigating an alleged property deal between him and Hajra, the wife of Iqbal Mirchi. A drug smuggler who died in London in 2013, Iqbal Mirchi was a close aide of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, who has been declared a global terrorist. The agency is investigating allegations of a quid pro quo in the deal, according to which, the minister helped the fugitive criminal. Coming ahead of the assembly elections in the state, the issue has raised political ripples, with the BJP accusing the Congress of being in the know. Mr Patel was the civil aviation minister in the Congress-led UPA government headed by Manmohan Singh.
