Prafulla Marpakwar (THE TIMES OF INDIA; October 28, 2021)

Mumbai: NCP spokesperson and skill development minister Nawab Malik on Wednesday made fresh allegations against NCB (Narcotics Control Bureau) zonal director Sameer Wankhede, saying that an “international drug mafia” was present on the cruise ship where the raid was conducted on October 2, but was not arrested. He claimed that the drug lord was friends with Wankhede.

Stepping up pressure against Wankhede, Malik said that if the birth certificate, which he had tweeted, turns out to be false, then he would not only resign from the state cabinet, but quit politics forever. “If my claims are true, then Wankhede should at least tender an apology to me and my family. He will lose his job for sure,” Malik said.

Wankhede declined to comment on Malik’s statement.

Ever since the arrest of actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan in the cruise drug seizure case, Malik has been targeting the NCB, particularly Wankhede. In fact, state home minister Dilip Walse Patil has described the NCB raids on Bollywood celebrities as “gross abuse of power”, while CM Uddhav Thackeray is expected to write to the Prime Minister over NCB’s alleged excesses. Malik has also raised doubts over Wankhede’s caste certificate, claiming that he has forged it for securing a prestigious job in the central government.

Iterating that the October 2 raid on Cordelia cruise ship was “fake and fabricated”, Malik claimed that it was granted permission by the director general of shipping, but not from the state government or home department.

“The raid was a fake. The persons detained and arrested were pre-decided. Among the guests on the cruise ship was an international drug mafia, who is closely associated with Wankhede. He must explain why the drug mafia was let off,” the NCP minister claimed.

In the video, the drug lord, sporting a beard, is seen dancing with his fiancée holding a weapon in her hand. “I am told that the bearded man was in Tihar and Rajasthan jails in the past,” said Malik. “The NCB should check CCTV footage of the ship. How is the drug mafia moving around scot free?”

Launching a frontal attack against Wankhede, Malik said that his style of functioning is dubious. In one case, an FIR was lodged, but the case is still open for obvious reasons, he claimed. “Leading film stars, including Deepika Padukone, Sara Ali Khan and Shraddha Kapoor were summoned to the NCB office and their statements were recorded, but the NCB is silent on the present status of the case.”

Malik added that he expects a visit from the vigilance committee that is probing into the corruption charges against Wankhede. “If the committee meets me, I will give evidence of the entire episode and modus operandi of NCB sleuths; let people know how it functions,” he said.

“The committee should also check the call data records of Wankhede, his driver Mane and witnesses K P Gosavi and Prabhakar Sail, and record their statements. I am sure the call data records will reveal startling information on Wankhede’s nexus with these people,” he added.
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HC declines to hear PIL seeking to curb Malik from commenting on NCB officers

The Bombay High Court high on Wednesday declined to immediately hear a PIL to restrain state cabinet minister Nawab Malik from commenting in any manner to demoralise officers of the Narcotics Control Bureau, and zonal director Sameer Wankhede and his family.

The PIL, filed by businessman Kausar Ali Sayyed, was mentioned by his advocate Ashok Saraogi before a bench led by Chief Justice Dipankar Datta. The CJ said the petitioner must move the Diwali vacation bench or wait until regular court resumes. He also refused to grant Sayyed liberty to move the vacation bench saying, “We’ll not encroach upon the jurisdiction of any bench. You satisfy the bench.”