Deputy home minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed said becoming a Malaysian citizen was a lengthy process and any report saying the preacher was a citizen was merely an allegation.

“There are many processes to go through and it takes decades to become a citizen,” the Pulai lawmaker told FMT when asked to comment on an article by the Hindustan Times.

Earlier today the Indian daily reported that Zakir, whose Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) has been banned in India, was under investigation by police and the National Investigation Agency (NIS).

The Hindustan Times report said that authorities, who had thought he was hiding in Africa or Thailand, now believed he was in Malaysia.

It quoted “people representing Zakir in his absence in Mumbai” as confirming his Malaysian citizenship.

They claimed it came as a package deal for the preacher, along with the award of Tokoh Ma’al Hijrah conferred upon him in 2013.

“It is the state policy of Malaysia to offer citizenship to the awardees of the highest civilian honour of their land. Naik is now a Malaysian citizen too,” the Hindustan Times quoted a representative of Zakir as saying.

The report said that as investigators homed in on Zakir, the dual citizenship was likely to benefit him.

Zakir is no stranger to the country, having come to Malaysia in April to give a series of talks on Islam much to the ire of several quarters.

Non-Muslim groups in particular wanted him barred from speaking in Malaysia as they said he often demeaned other religions and could cause harm to Malaysia’s multi-religious harmony.

In October, the Mumbai-born televangelist returned to Malaysia where he attended the annual conference of Al-Khadem in Kuala Lumpur.