NCB orders vigilance probe against Sameer Wankhede

Ahmed Ali (THE TIMES OF INDIA; October 26, 2021)

Mumbai: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has initiated a vigilance probe against its zonal director (western region) Sameer Wankhede after the personal bodyguard of a witness in the Aryan Khan drug case accused him of demanding a bribe. An affidavit by Prabhakar Sail, assigned to protect the witness K P Gosavi, cited an alleged meeting in which a payoff to Wankhede was discussed.

NCB deputy director general (DDG) for the north, Gyaneshwar Singh, told TOI he was “supervising the inquiry into allegations (against Wankhede). We have taken note of the affidavit and have initiated the inquiry. It will be transparent and fair.” Singh told PTI a report was also received from NCB’s DDG for the northwest region and that it was marked to the vigilance section of the bureau. We are a professional organisation and we are open for an inquiry into any allegation against our staffers.” Wankhede refused to comment on the inquiry.

Singh said it was too early to say if Wankhede will continue in his current post while the probe is on. Sources said the probe will involve recording statements of all witnesses in the Aryan Khan drug case, including the two produced by the NCB, K P Gosavi who claims to be a private investigator, and Manish Bhanushali, who is said to be a BJP worker. Wankhede's statements and those of his team members may also be recorded. The inquiry will also look into allegations of political interference levelled by NCP leader Nawab Malik.

Sail, who made the allegation against Wankhede, has claimed he faces a threat to his life from Wankhede. He said he was made to sign blank papers by the NCB. He said his boss K P Gosavi had a meeting with Shah Rukh Khan's manager Pooja Dadlani and a man named Sam D’Souza at Lower Parel. Sail claims he overheard Gosavi discussing with D’Souza a demand for a Rs 25-crore bribe and finally settling for a payment of Rs 8 crore.
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NCB orders internal probe into high-profile officer, following allegations that he was paid Rs 8 crore in the cruise liner case
Vishal Singh (MID-DAY; October 26, 2021)

The Narcotics Control Bureau has ordered a vigilance probe into the claims of an Andheri resident, who claimed to be the personal bodyguard of panch witness K P Gosavi, and has accused the agency’s zonal director Sameer Wankhede of bribery in the Aryan Khan case. Through a video message and an affidavit, Sail has claimed that he had overheard talks that the NCB’s zonal director was to be “given” Rs 8 crore.

The vigilance inquiry will be led by the agency’s Deputy D G Gyaneshwar Singh. “I have been entrusted with the task of investigating the allegations being made in this case, I will come to Mumbai on Tuesday and investigate the matter,” Singh told mid-day.

Through a video message and an affidavit, Sail has claimed that he had overheard talks that NCB’s Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede was to be “given” Rs 8 crore, on the day Aryan Khan was arrested following a drug bust on a cruise liner.  Gosavi and Wankhede have rejected Sail’s allegations.

On Monday, Prabhakar Sail approached the Sahar police demanding protection. Earlier, he met Joint CP (Crime) Milind Bharambe. Acting on his request, the Mumbai police have given him protection. State Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil told media, “Prabhakar Sail had asked for security on which Mumbai police has provided him security. There is talk of NCB demanding a bribe through a witness, but till now no one has given a complaint to the police.”

No blanket order: court on NCB, Waknhede’s affidavits
Meanwhile, a special court said it cannot pass a blanket order barring courts from taking cognisance of the affidavit by Sail, an independent witness in the drugs-on-cruise case, levelling serious allegations against Wankhede. The court’s response came on two affidavits by Wankhede and NCB countering the allegations. 

As per the NCB and its zonal director, the allegations were an attempt to create hurdles and scuttle the investigation in the case. The central agency had also sought the court to pass appropriate orders to ensure there is no tampering with the evidence or investigation in the case.

Special Judge V V Patil, designated to hear cases related to the Narcotics Drugs Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, saying, “Considering the nature of the relief claimed in the applications [affidavits], no such blanket orders can be passed. It is for the concerned court or authority to pass appropriate order at the relevant stage.” It also said the matter was sub-judice as the Bombay High Court is scheduled to hear the bail pleas of Aryan Khan and his co-accused on Tuesday.

Personal vendetta: Wankhede
As state minority minister Nawab Malik continues to attack Wankhede, the zonal director issued a press release saying the charges levelled against him are “defamatory in nature and unnecessary invasion of my family privacy”. It came after Malik shared on Twitter what looked like the officer’s birth certificate and seemed to suggest that Wankhede had used forged documents.