London Metropolitan Police detained on Wednesday 64-year-old Muttahida Qaumi Movement member Muhammad Anwar on suspicion of money laundering.

“MQM worker Muhammad Anwar has been detained by MET Police ,” MQM leader Haider Abbas Rizvi told the Express News.

Muhammad Anwar is a close aide of MQM chief Altaf Hussain. He is also a member of MQM’s central coordination committee.

The senior leader has been shifted to Central Police Station in London and the Scotland Yard is still searching his house.

Earlier, sources ruled out the possibility of MQM chief Altaf Hussain being detained by the police.

“We are still verifying who the party members detained are. But it is not the MQM chief,” the sources had claimed.

“This arrest is part of an on going investigation into money laundering,” a MET press release stated.

However, the name of the detainee was not mentioned in the press release.

The arrest took place at a residential address in north west London.

“He has since been taken into custody at a central London police station and enquiries continue.” Further, the press release stated officers are at present searching the address.

It added that five other men previously arrested in connection with the investigation into money laundering remain on police bail.

The details shared in the press release for the previous arrests were:

[A] aged 73 and [B] aged 44, were arrested on 5 December 2013 on suspicion of money laundering and are on police bail to dates in April.

[C] aged 61 was arrested on 3 June 2014 on suspicion of money laundering and is on police bail to a date in April.

On 12 January [D] aged 41 attended a police station in Greater Manchester by appointment where he was arrested on suspicion of money laundering and later released on police bail to a date in April.

On 17 February [E] aged 27 attended a police station in Suffolk where he was arrested on suspicion of money laundering and later released on police bail to a date in April.

Police bail is the term used when a person arrested in connection with a criminal offence is released from police custody whilst the police investigation continues until they are next required to appear at a police station.
When a person is released on police bail they are required to return to the police station at a specific date and time.