Mumbai: Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan and his friend Arbaaz Merchant were named as accused in the October 2021 Cordelia cruise drug bust case at the last moment by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB)-Mumbai, then headed by Sameer Wankhede, said an affidavit filed by IPS officer Gnyaneshwar Singh who had supervised the probe. According to the affidavit, the original case information note was modified and the two names were included, while names of some other suspects were dropped.

Wankhede failed to appear before the CBI on Thursday for recording his statement in the corruption case. Later, he told TOI that “Singh furnished a fabricated report...and CAT had given a stay on the report”.

Referring to a series of lapses, the affidavit said that they were proof the probe was compromised to give “an opportunity” to K P Gosavi—a witness in the drug bust case who has now been accused by CBI of extortion.

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Mumbai: An affidavit filed by IPS officer Gnyaneshwar Singh, who had supervised the NCB probe in the October 2021 cruise drug bust case, has raised questions on the release of two suspects. It pointed out the release of Saumya Singh by the NCB despite recovery of rolling paper in her bag during the raid. She was in the same room as arrested accused, model Munmun Dhamecha. “Allegation of settlement in the release of the suspect,” the affidavit said.

Another suspect Siddarth Shah, who had admitted to having supplied charas to Arbaaz Merchant, was allowed to go. NCB had claimed to have recovered 6gm of charas from Merchant.

Wankhede told TOI on Thursday: “The CBI has registered a case based on the inquiry report though the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and CAT had given stay on Singh’s report. I had justified all my spending and provided all sources of income, including parental income. Five of my flats were purchased before I came into service. I had never purchased any watch. Singh furnished a fabricated report.”

Singh’s affidavit said the series of lapses in the custody of actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan is proof of the fact that it was compromised in an intentional manner to give “an opportunity” to K P Gosavi, a witness in the drug bust case and now an accused in the CBI case.

Gosavi has been accused of demanding Rs 25 crores from Shah Rukh and collecting Rs 50 lakhs to favour Aryan in the case. The audio recording of Aryan circulated by Gosavi is again a procedural lapse. A selfie of Gosavi along with Aryan, hours after the raid, had gone viral.

The affidavit also mentioned about the tampering of the recording devices at NCB office. “The CCTV equipment of the NCB office was collected by the Special Enquiry Team (SET). . . However, it was found that the same has gone corrupt. The DVR and hard disc provided by office of NCB Mumbai were different. It appears from the actions of the zone that CCTV footage did have something important and...was not provided to the SET,” it added.

The affidavit also speaks about NCB officers taking valuables during the raid without documentation. One officer was repatriated for theft of an Apple watch from an accused. It stated that during the raid, neither the phones of suspects were seized with panchanama nor there was a separate seizure memo. Thus, no formal documents were made for seizure of phones.

Singh had filed the affidavit after Wankhede moved the CAT opposing the inquiry against him. These observations were also part of the findings of the SET set up by NCB.