Prafulla Marpakwar (THE TIMES OF INDIA; October 29, 2021)

Mumbai: NCP spokesperson and skill development minister Nawab Malik on Thursday further intensified his attack against Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) zonal director Sameer Wankhede, alleging that he deliberately did not arrest Fashion TV India head Kashiff Khan, the main organiser of the “rave party” on Cordelia cruise ship, during the NCB raid on October 2.

“I have specific information that Khan, a leading arms dealer and main organiser of the rave party, is a personal friend of Wankhede, therefore he was not arrested, while NCB sleuths arrested three innocent persons—Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha under the stringent NDPS Act,” claimed Malik. “Kashiff Khan was present on the cruise ship along with his fiancee. I am reiterating that all the raids conducted under the leadership of Wankhede are fake and fabricated,” he added.

Malik said that of the 1,300 persons onboard the ship, only 13 were detained, and after eight of them were arrested, including Aryan Khan, shockingly, the ship was allowed to sail to Goa without arresting Khan. Also three people, including the brother-in-law of a senior BJP leader, were let off for “obvious political reasons”, claimed Malik, adding: “I am told that while the cruise ship firm had the permission from the central government, it did not have the mandatory clearance from the state government and Mumbai Police. It was the responsibility of the central government to ensure that necessary clearances are sought from the state government.”

Malik asked Wankhede to explain to the public why he was arresting innocent persons and letting off real culprits. He also alleged that most of the panch witnesses brought by the NCB on the cruise ship were dubious — K P Gosavi has a criminal case against him and Vilas Bhanushali a BJP activist.

Earlier, Malik had levelled phone-tapping and extortion allegations against Wankhede. He had claimed that the NCB officer had hired two private persons— one from Mumbai and the other from Thane—for intercepting phones of leading politicians and Bollywood celebrities.
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Minister accuses NCB officer of being selective in arrests after busting party on Cordelia
Faizan Khan (MID-DAY; October 29, 2021)

The Narcotics Control Bureau team led by its Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede that busted a rave party on cruise liner Cordelia on October 2 allowed one of the organisers to walk free, alleged state cabinet minister Nawab Malik on Thursday. The minister identified the person as Kashiff Khan, head of Fashion TV India, and said he is a friend of Wankhede. On Wednesday, Malik had said that NCB was a competent agency and should find out about a bearded man who he claimed was a drug dealer and was let off after the raid on the cruise liner that led to the arrest of Aryan Khan.

Malik said on Thursday that he has a video where Kashiff Khan was seen partying inside the cruise along with his girlfriend. “He is close to Wankhede and he was allowed to leave, he was one of the organisers. While other organisers were arrested, he was let off. The NCB zonal director must answer his connections with him,” Malik said. The minister has levelled several allegations against Wankhede including of phone tapping. He had earlier said that three people were let off by Wankhede and one of them is a relative of BJP leader Mohit Bharatiya. The NCB has said that six people were let off after they didn’t find any evidence against them. Bharatiya has filed a defamation case against Malik for dragging his name to the case.

Rape, molestation case against Kashiff
In March, the Oshiwara police had booked Kashiff for allegedly raping and assaulting a 31-year-old colleague in a five-star hotel. According to the complaint filed by the woman, Kashiff had been making overtures for a year and had misbehaved with her. After she repeatedly rejected his advances, Kashiff allegedly raped her and filmed the alleged assault. He wasn’t arrested then. As per the complaint, the woman joined Fashion TV in March 2020 and often accompanied Kashiff for business meetings. During one such business trip to Goa, Kashiff touched her inappropriately, said the complaint. mid-day tried to reach Kashiff but his number remained switched off.

With inputs by Anurag Kamble

Cruise liner party organiser is Sameer Wankhede’s friend, says Nawab Malik

Kashiff Khan. Pic/Twitter