Mumbai: The mysterious ‘Sam D’Souza’, whose name cropped up in allegations of a pay-off to the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in the Aryan Khan case, has turned out to be a Palghar resident whose profile was apparently misused to create a fake identity.

Hanik Bafna (35) on Monday submitted a complaint to the Palghar police superintendent after he began receiving calls regarding his alleged involvement in the drugs case. He has sought police help saying his photo and phone number were misused by a witness in the case, Prabhakar Sail, who claimed he overheard a man named Sam D’Souza and another witness in the same case, K P Gosavi, discuss a Rs 25-crore payoff to spring Aryan out of jail on October 3. Bafna said his WhatsApp display picture and a decade-old phone number were circulated as that of D’Souza’s.

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut had subsequently claimed that the man identified as D’Souza was the biggest player in money laundering and was well connected with politicians.

In a complaint to Sahar police, Sail had said that of the Rs 18 crore to be collected to get Aryan released, Rs 8 crore was to be paid to NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede. He said Gosavi had handed over a bag containing Rs 38 lakh to D’Souza. Gosavi's selfie with Aryan had gone viral after the latter’s arrest.

In his complaint, Bafna has said he met Sail a few months ago for a business deal that did not materialise. He had come in contact with Sail through the latter's brother Satish in 2019. Bafna said they exchanged phone numbers but did not stay in touch. He said on October 3, the date mentioned by Sail in his affidavit, he was in Palghar. He has asked the cops to check CCTV images to verify his movements. He denied receiving Rs 38 lakh.

Bafna, a longtime resident of Palghar, is currently on bail after spending two months in jail in a cheating case a few years ago. Police said they are verifying his claims. No FIR has been registered. Bafna said after his photograph was circulated in the context of the case, he began receiving calls from family and friends.

Manish Bhanushali, the BJP worker who was among the witnesses of the drugs bust case, had also said he had seen a Sam D’Souza on the ship but did not know if any money was paid to him.