Sameer Wankhede at the Bharat Ki Shaan award ceremony, in Bandra, in August 2022. Pic/Satej Shinde

The initial tip-off received by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Mumbai did not mention the names of Aryan Khan, the Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, and his friend Arbaaz Merchant, reveals the detailed investigation report submitted before the Delhi High Court. The probe was conducted against NCB’s former zonal (Mumbai) director Sameer Wankhede and other officers, who are accused of various misconducts in the ‘drugs-on-cruise’ case.

NCB’s Deputy Director General Gyaneshwar Singh led the special enquiry team’s (SET) investigation into the matter. Below are the findings in the vigilance report and also the details of the expenses that Wankhede has not been able to explain.

Tip-off note tampered with:  It appeared that the original information note was modified at the last moment and the names of Aryan, Arbaaz were included, while the names of some suspects were dropped. No documentation of seizure: Neither the panchnama mentioned any phones of the suspects seized nor was there a separate seizure memo. Thus, no formal documents were made for seizure of the phones. In the absence of a seizure memo, the chain of custody of the seized phone—vital evidence—was affected.

Allegation of valuables taken without documentation: Several witnesses examined by the SET stated that their and other suspects’ valuables were taken by NCB Mumbai officers without documentation. Allegation of settlement in matter of suspect Saumya Singh: The information note had her name, and despite the recovery of rolling papers from her bag, she was given a clean chit. The witnesses examined by the SET also showed her as a drug addict. She did not appear or assist in the enquiry of the SET.

The CCTV equipment of the NCB office was collected by the SET to verify the facts; however, it was found that the same has gone corrupt. The DVR and the hard disk provided by the NCB Mumbai office were different. It appears from the actions of the Zone that the CCTV footage had something important and the same was intentionally not provided to the SET.

The statements of the witnesses established that accused Aryan and Arbaaz were brought to the NCB office in a private vehicle of K P Gosavi instead of an office car. The audio recording of Aryan circulated by Gosavi is again a procedural lapse.

The vigilance report also highlights misconduct and violations of Central Civil Services Rules by Wankhede. According to the report, Wankhede’s average annual income as per the ITR was about Rs 15.75 lakh (salary and rent), his wife Kranti’s about Rs 7 lakh (business) and father’s (pension and rent) about Rs 3.45 lakh. The expenses of the declared private visits have been apparently under-reported by Wankhede.

In a span of about five years, from 2017 to 2021, he and his family made six private foreign visits to countries like UK, Ireland, Portugal, South Africa and the Maldives, spanning over 55 days of foreign stay, with a declared amount of only Rs. 8.75 lakh, which can barely cover the cost of air travels, the report noted.

In all the visits, expenditure incurred onwards travelling, lodging, boarding, VISA, miscellaneous expenses declared by him is between Rs. 1 lakh and Rs. 2.5 lakh, which is clearly incorrect declaration/under-reporting. Dubious transactions of Wankhede came to light with respect to his Maldives trip in July 2021.

The report states that various details, like the mode of travel, hotel booking, payment, etc., are unclear for his last trip to the Maldives. The question that arises from the lack of information is whether hospitality was accepted from any foreign source. If so, had Wankhede obtained necessary permission under the provisions of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act/Rules from the Union home ministry, the report added.

The vigilance report also states that the payment of Rs 9,03,055 in cash by Wankhede’s friend Viral Jamaluddin to JD’s Partner for hotel booking raises doubt about unaccounted money laundering. The 19-day long visit to London for tourism cannot be justified with a declared expense of Rs 1 lakh, it added.

Wankhede purchased a Rolex Gold watch worth Rs 22,05,000 for Rs 17,40,000 on credit from Viral. There are multiple invoices/quotes of Rolex watches. The report further mentioned a “dubious transaction” of Rs 7,40,000 through cheque for four watches that were sold by Wankhede to Viral. The cheque was issued in the name of Kranti Redkar. It is also pertinent to raise the doubt that as to how Wankhede got the payment immediately for the sold watches (unknown buyers) and how he gets the facility of credit for the purchase of a new watch worth Rs. 22 lakh, the report stated.

In respect to disproportionate asset enquiry against Wankhede, the SET found that Wankhede owns four flats in Mumbai and 4,16,88-acre land in Washim. He claimed to have spent Rs 82,87,399 on a fifth flat in Goregaon valued at Rs 2,45,49,918. Wankhede has said that his wife Kranti had invested Rs 1.25 crore in their flat before their wedding on February 8, 2017. But the SET could not verify it, as they have not furnished the ITR of financial year 2016-17.

Meanwhile, Wankhede has moved an application before the Delhi High Court, seeking relief, stating that he has answered every question with facts. He has sought to register a cross FIR against his senior officer Gyaneshwar Singh, claiming he has been framed.

Wankhede has also submitted along with his petition copies of his WhatsApp chats with senior officers wherein he informed them of every move during the raid on the Cordelia ship and the subsequent arrest of Aryan. “We were not aware of what he and some members of his team were doing behind the curtain. The facts were revealed during the vigilance enquiry and action was initiated against him,” a senior NCB officer told mid-day.

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.

Mumbai: The CBI probing allegations of corruption against Indian Revenue Service officer Sameer Wankhede in the Cordelia drug bust case has said in the FIR that the names of suspects were inexplicably reduced from 27 to 10 by the investigators.

The CBI has raised suspicion over the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) preparing an internal “information note” in which “names of certain other accused” were later included “through modification to suit the proceedings”. The initial note had 27 names but subsequently after modification it was reduced to 10, the FIR said.

Questioning the allegedly arbitrary nature of the probe, the agency has also pointed out that the man who supplied drugs to a friend of actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan was not arrested despite him confessing to his role. The FIR said Wankhede and his team did not arrest Siddharth Shah, who admitted to supplying narcotics to Aryan’s friend Arbaaz Merchant. NCB had claimed to have recovered six grams of charas from Merchant during the raid.

The FIR said Wankhede had also made foreign trips and indulged in sale and purchase of expensive wrist watches through a private individual, Viral Rajan, without intimating the department.

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Mumbai: The CBI’s FIR in it probe into allegations of corruption against IRS officer Sameer Wankhede in the Cordelia drug bust in 2021 suggests that the officer was living far beyond his known sources of income, seeking to link his wealth with his “dishonest” handling of the cruise liner case. Wankhede was western region head of NCB when he raided the cruise liner and arrested Aryan Khan and others in the drug case.

The FIR was based on a report by an NCB Special Enquiry Team (SET), which conducted an inquiry into allegations of “improper dishonest performance of duty by Wankhede and other officials. . . who obtained undue advantage from the persons/suspects in the cruise case”.

The report had said, “Further enquiries have also been done in the matters of allegations of criminal misconduct and corrupt practices of Sameer Wankhede and Ashish Ranjan independently, which could not sufficiently justify their acquired assets as per their declared income.”

The NCB also found that Wankhede had not adequately explained his foreign visits and had apparently misdeclared expenditure on his foreign travels.

On Thursday, the CBI filed a case of corruption against Wankhede, intelligence officer Ranjan, dismissed superintendent Vishwa Vijay Singh, two private persons Kiran Gosavi and Sanvile D’Souza, also known as Sam D’Souza, for allegedly collecting Rs. 50 lakhs out of the total Rs. 25 crores demanded from Shah Rukh Khan in the light of the drug case involving his son Aryan.

The CBI said the suspects in the drug bust case were brought from the cruise liner to the NCB office in Gosavi’s private vehicle. “It appeared that presence of the independent witness around the accused persons was. . . intentionally in such a manner so as to give an impression that Gosavi was an NCB personnel though there were NCB personnel to handle the custody of the accused persons,” the FIR said.

“Gosavi was allowed to be present in the company of accused persons and allowed to come to NCB office after the raid which is against the norms for an independent witness.”

The FIR said Wankhede, in the capacity of immediate supervisory officer, had directed that Gosavi and Prabhakar Sail be taken as independent witnesses in the proceedings and that Vishwa Vijay Singh allow Gosavi to “handle the accused while taking him to NCB office”, thereby allowing Gosavi and others to create a visual impression of escorting/dragging Aryan Khan towards the NCB Mumbai office.

The CBI has searched the premises of the accused officers and their alleged accomplices and collected digital and documentary evidence for examination. CBI has added charges of extortion and criminal conspiracy besides sections under the Prevention of Corruption Act in the case.

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The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) FIR against Sameer Wankhede says that the NCBs vigilance report found that his assets do not justify his acquired asset.

”Further inquiries have also been done in the matters of allegations of criminal misconduct & corrupt practices of Sameer Wankhede and Ashish Ranjan independently, which could not sufficiently justify their acquired assets as per their declared income.” The FIR reads.

The FIR further states that he was not able to explain his foreign visits and expensive watches. ”It has also come to the notice of the Vigilance Branch of NCB that Wankhede has not properly explained his foreign visits and had apparently mis-declared the expenditure on his foreign travels. He has also not declared the source of his foreign visits properly.”

“It was also found that Sameer Wankhede has indulged himself in the sale and purchase of expensive wristwatches with a private entity, Viral Rajan, without intimating the department (present or parent).” The FIR reads further.

In the FIR it was also revealed that Wankhede gave free hand to panch witnesses K P Gosavi to create an image that he is an NCB official and he took a selfie and recorded Aryan Khan's voice to extort money which was initially Rs. 25 crores and later it was settled for Rs. 18 crores of which Rs. 50 lakhs was taken by Gosavi but it was later returned.

“The inquiry conducted by SET has further revealed that the accused persons were brought to the NCB office in a private vehicle of the independent witness K P Gosavi. It appeared that the presence of the independent witness K P Gosavi around accused persons was created intentionally in such a manner so as to give an impression that K P Gosavi was an NCB personnel even though there was NCB personnel to handle the custody of the accused persons.” The FIR says. 

According to CBI, the independent witness K P Gosavi was allowed to be present in the company of accused persons and even allowed to come to the NCB office after the raid which is against the norms for an independent witness. In this manner, K P Gosavi took the freedom and-clicked selfies and recorded the voice note of an accused.

The FIR further added, was this position that allowed K P Gosavi and his aide Sanvile D'Souza amongst others to enter into the conspiracy to extort an amount of Rs. 25 crores from the family members of the alleged 'accused', Aryan Khan by threatening them of the accusation of offences of possession of Narcotics substances. This amount was finally settled for Rs.18 crores. A token amount of Rs. 50 lakhs, bribe money was also taken by K P Gosavi and his aide Sanvile D'Souza but later a part of the bribe money was returned back by them.

“Sameer Wankhede, in the capacity of the immediate supervisory officer, had directed to take KP Gosavi and Prabhakar Sail as the independent witness in the proceedings against the accused and directed  VV Singh to let K P Gosavi handle the accused while taking him to NCB Office thereby allowing freehand to K P Gosavi and others in order to create such a visual impression of KP Gosavi having the custody of the accused and escorting/dragging him towards NCB Mumbai office,” says the CBI FIR against Wankhede.

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The FIR filed by the CBI against Sameer Wankhede says the NCB’s vigilance report found that his assets do not justify his declared income. The investigating agency has summoned Wankhede to its headquarters in New Delhi for further questioning on  May 18.

According to the CBI’s First Information Report (FIR), independently conducted inquiries into the allegations of criminal misconduct and corruption by Sameer Wankhede and Ashish Ranjan Prasad could not sufficiently justify their acquired assets as per their declared income. The CBI has summoned Wankhede to its headquarters in New Delhi for questioning on Thursday (May 18).

The CBI registered an FIR against former NCB Mumbai Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede, then superintendent Vishwa Vijay Singh, then NCB intelligence officer Ashish Ranjan Prasad, K P Gosavi, Sanvile D’souza and other unknown persons on May 11 under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The complaint in the case was filed by the superintendent of the vigilance department at the NCB headquarters.

The FIR states that Wankhede was not able to justify his foreign visits and expensive watches. “Wankhede has not properly explained his foreign visits and apparently mis-declared the expenditure of his foreign travels. He has also not declared the source of his foreign visits properly,” the FIR reads. The FIR further mentions that Wankhede indulged in the sale and purchase of expensive wristwatches with a private entity—Viral Rajan—without intimating the department.

However, a major part of the FIR deals with the alleged improper investigation and alleged extortion by Wankhede, in connivance with NCB officials and private persons. The CBI alleged that the accused, at the directions of Wankhede, had extorted an amount of around Rs. 25 crores from the family members of those accused in the Aryan Khan drugs case by threatening to charge them with possession of narcotic substances.

The FIR mentions that many other persons—except for the 10 accused including Aryan Khan and Arbaaz Merchant—whose names were available with NCB officials as suspected persons, were not documented. A few persons who were suspects were even allowed to leave without any documentation being done.

The FIR mentions that a person named Siddharth Shah was let off by NCB officials despite there being evidence against him. “Shah who had allegedly supplied charas to Arbaaz Merchant was also allowed to walk free by NCB Mumbai officials despite admitting to selling charas to Merchant and incriminating chats that showed he himself was consuming drugs. The investigation also revealed that the names of certain suspects were dropped from the first information note (I-note) and the names of certain other accused were included subsequently through modification to suit the proceeding,” the FIR said. The initial I-note contained 27 names while the modified one contained only 10 names.

The accused nabbed in the Cordelia Cruise case were brought to the NCB office in a private vehicle belonging to K P Gosavi—a private person and independent witness in the case. The presence of Gosavi, despite the presence of other NCB personnel to handle the accused, created an impression that he was an NCB officer. Gosavi was allowed to be with the accused and also allowed into the NCB office after the raid which is against the norms for an independent witness.

“Gosavi clicked selfies and recorded voice notes of an accused,” the FIR reads. According to the report, Wankhede had directed that Gosavi and Prabhakar Sail be taken along as witnesses in the proceedings. He allegedly directed Vishwa Vijay Singh to let Gosavi handle the accused in order to create an impression that he has their custody.

Mumbai: The CBI has registered a case of corruption against Indian Revenue Service officer Sameer Wankhede and four others for allegedly collecting Rs 50 lakh from actor Shah Rukh Khan in the October 2021 Cordelia drug case involving his son Aryan Khan.

Wankhede and the others are accused of demanding a total sum of Rs 25 crore from the actor to get his son cleared of charges of drug possession. The CBI has searched 29 locations in Mumbai, Delhi, Ranchi, Lucknow and Chennai, including Wankhede’s home in Goregaon west. Wankhede called it vindictive action as he had filed a complaint of harassment against a senior NCB officer.

He said, “I am a disciplined official of government of India. I will fight the legal battle and have complete faith in judiciary.”

Wankhede was western region head of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and headed the probe into the case against Aryan Khan. The other accused in the case include intelligence officer Ashish Ranjan, dismissed superintendent Vishwa Vijay Singh, and two individuals —Kiran Gosavi and Sanvile D’Souza also known as Sam D’Souza—who were being used as witnesses or informers. Singh and Ranjan were part of the probe team.

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Mumbai: Former NCB western region chief Sameer Wankhede, intelligence officer Ashish Ranjan, dismissed superintendent Vishwa Vijay Singh, and two individuals, Kiran Gosavi and Sanvile D’Souza have been booked by CBI in an extortion case involving Shan Rukh Khan.

Singh was dismissed on Tuesday for misconduct in another case in which he was under suspension. Ranjan was also suspended for allegedly not presenting a strong case before a court hearing a bail plea of an accused in another drug case. Gosavi was a panch witness in the drug case. Gosavi, according to his bodyguard Prabhakar Sail, had discussed Rs 25 crores demand with Sam D’Souza over phone. This conversation also had a reference to a payment of Rs 8 crores to Wankhede, who had denied the allegations.

On October 2, 2021, the NCB conducted a raid on a cruise ship called Cordelia after receiving a tip-off that drugs were being consumed in a party on board. Several people, including Aryan Khan, were arrested in the case in subsequent days. However, allegations by NCP leader Nawab Malik that the NCB officers were using fake witnesses and flimsy evidence to carry out high profile arrests on charges of drug possession put the spotlight on some of the cases. A Special Investigation Team was set up to probe them. A selfie of the witness Gosavi with Aryan Khan in side the NCB office went viral raising questions about the credibility of the NCB action.

The NCB’s SIT in a subsequent probe had said that it appeared that the investigating officer was motivated to somehow implicate Aryan Khan in the drugs case. “It is strange to note that in spite of clear-cut denial by Arbaaz (Merchant), regarding involvement of Aryan in the procurement and possession of drugs from him, the investigating officer started looking at WhatsApp chats of Aryan without even formally seizing the mobile phone of Aryan,” the report said. NCB had claimed to have recovered six gm charas from Merchant, who was described by the agency as Aryan's friend.

CBI on Friday said Wankhede and the others “had entered into criminal conspiracy” and “allegedly obtained undue advantage in the form of bribes” from Aryan Khan and others...

“It has also been alleged that the said persons entered into conspiracy in order to extort an amount of Rs 25 crores (approx) from the family members of the alleged accused by threatening them” with charges of “possession of Narcotics Substances asper the alleged directions of then Zonal Director being the Supervisory Officer. A token amount of Rs 50 lakh as bribe was allegedly obtained in furtherance of this conspiracy by the said persons”.

Gosavi’s private bodyguard Prabhakar Sail (who died last April) in an affidavit filed in the court soon after the raid had levelled serious charges of a huge payoff to Gosavi, a mysterious meeting between Gosavi and Shah Rukh Khan’s manager Pooja Dadlani a few hours after the raid on Cruise and also alleged threat to his life.

Sail said he was instructed by Gosavi to come to the NCB office on October 2, (the raid happened late in the night). Sail’s affidavit mentions Gosavi meeting with NCB officials and seeing Khan in one of the cabins of the cruise liner. The city police had set up a SIT to probe a case of extortion but could not arrive at any conclusion as Dadlani failed to turn up despite being issued several summons.

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The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has booked former NCB officer Sameer Wankhede and many others on charges of corruption and extortion in connection with the Cordelia cruise drugs case that had to the arrest of Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan.

Wankhede was the Narcotics Control Bureau’s (NCB) zonal director, Mumbai, at the time and probed the case. Among others booked are the then superintendent Vishwa Vijay Singh, Ashish Ranjan (the then intelligence officer of Mumbai zonal unit, NCB), K P Gosavi (a private person whose selfie with Aryan following latter’s arrest went viral), Sanvile D’Souza (a private person).

The CBI alleged that the accused extorted an amount of about Rs 25 crores from the family members of the alleged accused by threatening them with the accusation of offenses of possession of narcotics substances as per the alleged directions of Wankhede.

“My father has been saying this since day one, and now the CBI has confirmed it after years of investigation. Those who denied the truth of my father’s allegations should be held accountable,” said Nilofer Malik, daughter of NCP leader Nawab Malik, after the CBI booked Wankhede.

Malik had alleged Wankhede extorted money in all his cases and highlighted the gross violation in the case of Aryan Khan. “Some people believe that truth can be obscured with a little cover-up and decoration. However, as time passes, the truth will eventually come to light, while falsehoods fade away,” she added.

The then zonal director Sameer Wankhede who raided the “drug” party on the Cordelia cruise ship in October last year violated multiple rules in the NCB field officers’ handbook. The vigilance team’s report and its charge sheet highlight many glaring violations—removal of 16 names mentioned in the tip-off, failure to file NIL panchnamas; giving a free hand to witness K P Gosavi; letting witnesses handle detainees during their transfer to NCB office; not bringing lady cops despite inputs of women suspects; and alleged attempt at extorting Shah Rukh Khan. Moreover, sources have said that they let off two top cops without checking them.

Among the officers named in the charge sheet are Wankhede, former superintendent at NCB Vishwavijay Singh, junior intelligence officer S R Shinde and former intelligence officer of NCB Ashish Ranjan who was also the investigating officer in the Cordelia Cruises drug case, sources said. Ranjan, who was posted with the NCB on probation, has returned to the CISF--his parent cadre.

According to the report of vigilance team that investigated the conduct of Wankhede and his team, the anti-narcotics cops in Mumbai manipulated the key note—the informal information received from the source. Before raiding the cruise ship on October 1, the NCB cops under scanner removed 16 names from the list and targeted only 11 people, including Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan, and detained them, according to the report.

It appears that the officers let off 16 people after possible acceptance of illegal gratification, states the charge sheet. Six officers, including Wankhede, have been asked to appear before the inquiry committee in connection with this particular allegation. Sources, however, told mid-day that the key note received just a few hours before the raid had only 11 names initially, and 16 more were added when the informer updated the list of people present aboard the ship.

The charge sheet points to another lapse—non-filing of NIL panchnamas. As per the procedure, a NIL panchanama has to be filed when nothing is found after frisking an individual. However, not a single NIL panchanama was found after frisking many on whom nothing was found at the party, the charge sheet said.

During the raid, the NCB team had checked a top Bollywood actress’s brother and another person who was arrested in the Sushant Singh Rajput’s death case, sources said. However, no NIL panchnama was filed in their names, they added. Sources also said that one director general-rank officer and one inspector general-rank officer were also present at the “drug” party, but they were allowed to leave without any checking and questioning.

The vigilance team also highlighted that K P Gosavi, NCB’s witness in the case, was given a free hand during the raid and thereafter. The team found that Gosavi was clicking selfies with Aryan and recorded his audio inside the NCB office to send messages to Pooja Dadlani, the manager of Shah Rukh. The vigilance officers believe that it could have been an attempt at extortion.

However, the vigilance team did not find any evidence, as Prabhakar Sail who alleged extortion attempt by Gosavi, died of a heart attack in April this year. Sail, in an affidavit, alleged that he overheard Gosavi and one Sam D’Souza talking about a Rs 25-crore deal in Aryan Khan case, and that Rs 8 crore was to go to Wankhede.

The charge sheet mentions that when the detainees were taken to the NCB office from Cordelia cruise ship, the panchas [witnesses] in the matter, who were private persons, handled them, instead of cops. Handling of detainees by the witnesses during transfer is against the rule.

Moreover, separate panchanamas were not made after the arrest of Aryan and his friend Arbaz Merchant, the charge sheet states. However, a senior lawyer requesting anonymity, told mid-day, “There is no need of making two different panchnamas for one seizure of both accused from one place. Different panchnamas can be drawn only if the seizure is at two different locations.”

The charge sheet also alleges that anti-narcotics cops manhandled one accused, Vikran Chokar, on the ship and at the office. Moreover, the NCB raid team did not bring any lady officer on the ship even though the key note named two female suspects and also failed to inform the local police.

A constable previously associated with the NCB, in its statement to the vigilance team, alleged that Wankhede has good connections with criminals in Mumbai and might face consequences if he speaks against them, according to the charge sheet. Wankhede is currently posted in Chennai under the director general of taxpayers services, an office of the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBIC).

Indian Revenue Service officer Sameer Wankhede has moved the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC), making harassment and atrocities allegations against NCB Deputy Director General (DDG) Gyaneshwar Singh. The DDG headed the vigilance team that probed the conduct of Wankhede and his team in the Aryan Khan case.

Based on the complaint, the NCSC has issued a notice to the secretary, Ministry Of Home Affairs; director general of police, NCB; chairman of Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBIC). The notice states that the commission has decided “to investigate/enquire his complaint”. They have to respond within 15 days since the receipt of the notice.

“The commission has observed that there appears to be discrimination and harassment of the petitioner, therefore, the commission has desired that no further action in the matter be taken till the pendency of the case in the commission (sic),” it reads.

It has asked the CBIC board to submit “original documents submitted by the special enquiry team of the NCB...for its perusal and examination.” Speaking with mid-day, Wankhede refused to comment, saying, “the matter is seized with the NSCS”.

With inputs from Diwakar Sharma

The NCB (Narcotics Control Bureau), Mumbai, led by Sameer Wankhede, arrested actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan last year in October based on a statement by his friend, Arbaaz Merchant. After an eight-month-long investigation, the SIT headed by IPS officer Sanjay Kumar Singh gave a clean chit to Aryan, again based on the statement of Merchant, on Friday. According to sources, Merchant told the SIT that he did not make any statement before the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Mumbai. 

He also claimed his signatures were taken on a blank paper by NCB, Mumbai officers. In October, Mumbai, NCB arrested Khan after Merchant, in his voluntary statement, said that the 6 gram charas procured from him in a raid on a cruise ship, was for his own consumption and that of Aryan Khan. Later, NCB, Mumbai recorded a statement from Khan where he too confessed to consumption of the drugs. Apart from Khan, the agency has also given a clean chit to 5 more accused including four organisers. The charge sheet filed before the special NDPS court was against 14 people and six were given a clean chit due to lack of evidence. The 6,000-pages charge sheet was submitted before a special NDPS court on Friday, the court is yet to take cognisance of it. 

In a statement issued by the SIT, its chief Sanjay Kumar Singh said, “The SIT carried out its investigation in an objective manner. The touchstone of the principle of proof beyond reasonable doubt has been applied. Based on the investigation carried out by the SIT, a complaint against 14 persons under various sections of the NDPS Act is being filed. Complaints against the remaining six persons are not being filed due to lack of sufficient evidence.” 

Speaking to mid-day he said, “Our job was to conduct an impartial investigation to reinstate the faith of people in the NCB. During the course of investigation we didn’t find any evidence against the six accused including Aryan Khan.”

“The arrest and detention of Aryan Khan for 26 days was unjustified, more particularly when he was not found in possession of any drugs, there was no evidence of any kind, there was no material of any nature of violation of any law, much less the NDPS Act. We are happy that the Special Investigation Team under Sanjay Kumar Singh investigated the case in an objective manner and decided not to file a complaint against Aryan Khan for lack of sufficient evidence. Satya Meva Jayate,” said Khan’s lawyer, Satish Maneshinde.

Sources in the agency have confirmed that Khan has also said in his statement that he never confessed about consumption, and never said that the drug found in his friend’s possession was for his consumption. The first investigating officer, Ashish Ranjan, who has been suspended by the NCB DG, had recorded the initial statements of Merchant and Khan.

According to their first voluntary statement given to NCB Superintendent V V Singh, Merchant said that the drug was for consumption by him and his friend Aryan Khan, and based on his statement, the agency secured the two friends custody from Killa court in October last year.

While recording his statement before the SIT, Merchant retracted his statement, and said that he was forced to sign on a blank paper and he never made such a statement. “The entire case was based on his statement. He now claims that he was forced to sign on a blank paper and now he has retracted the statement which was the only evidence against Khan. As there is some truth in his statement given before SIT, Khan’s name has been dropped from the charge sheet as there was not sufficient evidence.” a senior officer of NCB told mid-day. 

According to Merchant's statement to NCB, he was travelling with Khan to the cruise party. In front of Investigating Officer Aashish Ranjan Prasad, Merchant accepted that he had kept charas inside his shoes. He did not say that the drug that was recovered from him was meant for any other person including Khan.

In the second voluntary statement of Merchant given before Ranjan Prasad, he said that Khan was aware that he (Arbaaz) was an occasional consumer, and that is why he told him (Merchant) not to carry any hash to the cruise, as NCB was very active these days and they (Merchant and Khan) will be in trouble.

In the initial voluntary statement given to the first IO of the case, Khan had confessed to consumption and said that the charas found from Merchant was for their consumption. While recording the statement before SIT, Khan also retracted this statement and said that he never made such a statement before anyone. As per the internal note of SIT, Khan in his initial statement, had said that the drug found on Merchant was for consumption, not specifically saying whose.

The NCB has also cited a statement of crucial witness, Prabhakar Sail who died recently, saying that he was asked to sign on a blank paper by another panch witness, K P Gosavi, who was present at the time of searches and he (Sail) did not witness any drug recovery. 

The second aspect on which the NCB led by Wankhede had relied on, was WhatsApp chat and through Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, the agency claimed before the sessions and Bombay High Court, that Khan was part of an international drug cartel. However, the SIT has said those chats were not related to this case and hence there was no relevance. 

The SIT in its internal note has also said, “It is strange to note that in spite clear denial by Arbaaz regarding the involvement of Aryan in the procurement and possession of drugs from him, the investigating officer started looking at WhatsApp chats of Aryan Khan, even formally seizing his mobile phone. It appears that the IO was motivated to somehow implicate Aryan Khan in the drug case. Khan, while arguing for his bail before the Bombay High Court, argued on the seizure of the mobile phone, saying it was not formally seized by the agency.”

In the internal note submitted to the DG NCB, the agency has also claimed, “In the Punchnama that was drawn after the search and seizure at the Cruise Terminal, it has been mentioned that the mobile phone of Aryan Khan was voluntarily handed over by him to the Investigating Officer. It is to be noted that this was not followed by formal seizure procedure as laid down in the law.” 

“Investigation has further disclosed that data extraction of Aryan’s mobile was done and it contained various WhatsApp chats with different people alluding to consumption of weed, hashish, etc. Witnesses and accused were asked to join the investigation based on the contents of the WhatsApp chat treating them as if contents of WhatsApp chats are the primary source of evidence,” the NCB’s internal note reads further. 

According to the NCB, the Supreme Court has time and again questioned the evidentiary value of WhatsApp chats. Therefore, “our excessive reliance on WhatsApp messages will be severely counterproductive during the trial of the case, considering the fact that integrity of data extracted from Aryan’s phone is questionable as there is no seizure memo for Aryan’s phone to show how and when his phone was seized.” the internal note reads further.

After Khan and the others were arrested and after allegations by NCP Minister Nawab Malik, the NCB formed a SIT headed by Singh to probe the matter further. After the clean chit from NCB, the family of Malik, from his Twitter handle said, “Now that Aryan Khan and 5 others get a clean chit will NCB take action against Sameer Wankhede his team and the private army or will it shield the culprits?” 

According to sources, based on the findings, the SIT has submitted a detailed note to NCB DG SN Pradhan to take action against the investigating officer and Wankhede. Pradhan has also initiated departmental enquiry against them. Wankhede is already facing a vigilance probe and two officers, VV Singh and Ashish Ranjan, have been suspended. Wankhede was not available for comment, but sources close to him said that the decision to arrest Khan and others was collective and everyone was informed with the evidence. Apart from Khan, the four organisers of the cruise, Gopal ji Anand, Samir Sehgal, Bhaskar Arora, Manav Singhal and another accused, Avin Sahu, have not been charge sheeted due to lack of evidence.

The thin line between extortion and bribery has forced Mumbai Police’s Special Enquiry Team (SET) to put an enquiry on hold. The SET was formed to enquire into the alleged extortion by NCB (Narcotics Control Bureau) officials in connection with the drugs-on-cruise case to release actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan. The other reason for the police’s enquiry reaching a dead end is SRK’s manager Pooja Dadlani not appearing before them despite multiple summons. She has given medical reasons for not joining the probe.

The Mumbai police, which formed the SET last month, also took legal opinion and believes that Dadlani is not legally bound to appear before them as they are only conducting an enquiry and no offence has been registered. “We have recorded multiple statements and Dadlani's statement is very crucial to move ahead and register an FIR in the case because she is the victim. Either she or Shah Rukh Khan has to complain,” an officer said. “As Dadlani has not appeared before the SET, the enquiry has been put on hold and further legal opinion has been sought in the case,” another officer added.

“Criminal law can be set in motion by anyone. They can register an FIR if they know an offence has been committed but the complainant's statement is needed during investigation. After registering an FIR, they can summon anyone and the person is legally bound to appear before them. In this case, if the victim comes forward  after the FIR and says that no extortion has happened, they can close the case,” senior lawyer Rizwan Merchant told mid-day.

After NCB witness Prabhakar Sail's claim, the NCB said that Dadlani tried to influence the witnesses and the investigation. The NCB’s vigilance team is also conducting a probe against Wankhede and other witnesses to check if any attempts were made to extort money from SRK to release his son. The NCB vigilance team headed by IPS Gyaneshwar Singh has recorded the statement of multiple people but not yet submitted their report.

Now the Mumbai police are enquiring about the alleged extortion case and have put it on hold waiting for the report from vigilance team of NCB. “The NCB has the upper hand in the case as Aryan got arrested. They can say that Dadlani tried to bribe the officers to get a favour which was to release Aryan Khan. The Mumbai police’s SET has not found any evidence against NCB officials in the ongoing probe. To investigate the role of NCB officials, first they have to register an FIR,” said an officer of the Maharashtra police.

The officer also said that the Mumbai police are waiting for the NCB vigilance report because if it is a case of bribery (Did Dadlani try to bride an NCB official - K P Gosavi allegedly told her he was one - to free Aryan), then it becomes the exclusive jurisdiction of NCB to take action against their own officers, and to find if they demanded a bribe to do a favour or they were offered certain favours.

P S Pasricha, former Commisioner of Mumbai police said, “The Mumbai police should try and find whether the victim is scared or deliberately avoiding coming forward. If the victim is scared they should talk to him/her and assured them of full security. In cases of extortion they need the victim to register an FIR, in other cases like murder or any other offence cops can become complainant.”

“Extortion is a crime wherein the accused demands goods, services or money through coercion against the will of another and blackmail is noticed. Bribery is offering and giving anything of value as a means of influencing the actions of a person holding public office. Solicitation of a bribe clearly is also a criminal activity. There is also a thin line as an unwilling bribe giver in a given case can be trapped in a web created by the conspirators which would involve blackmail and coercion,” said senior lawyer Dr Sujay Kantawala. Dadlani did not respond to this reporter’s messages.

The Mumbai police had formed the SET in November to probe the claim of one of NCB’s panch witnesses (Prabhakar Sail) who gave an affidavit and a complaint saying nothing was found on Aryan and he was framed. He also alleged that as witness he was forced to sign on a plain sheet of paper. He also said that he overheard conversation between his boss K P Gosavi and Sam Dsouza (the middle man who helped Gosavi get in touch with Dadlani) about demanding Rs 24 crore and settling everything for Rs 18 crore as Rs 8 crore was supposed to go to NCB Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede. However, when D’Souza came forward, he said that NCB was never involved in this it was all done by Gosavi who allegedly impersonated an NCB officer and had a meeting with Dadlani twice. Later, Rs 50 lakh was given to D’Souza by Dadlani. The money was handed over to Sail and he gave it to Gosavi and later it was returned to Dadlani after everything was messed up and Aryan got arrested in the case.

As the inquiry by Mumbai Police's Special Enquiry Team (SET) has hit a roadblock after Shah Rukh Khan’s manager, Pooja Dadlani, again did not come forward to record her statement, cops are now exploring legal opinion. Dadlani’s statement is crucial to the ongoing investigation as well as filing of the FIR in the drugs-on-cruise case, said police officers. According to sources, Dadlani has sought time citing health reasons.

The SET has briefed the Mumbai Police commissioner about the ongoing inquiry. The team will issue a third summons to Dadlani, and if she does not turn up, cops will act as per legal remedies available. “Two summons have already been issued to her but she has not turned up. We will act as per the law,” a police officer said. 

Meanwhile, police officers recorded the statement of Sam D’Souza on Monday. So far, statements of 20 people have been recorded. 

NCB’s panch witness Prabhakar Sail has, in his affidavit, alleged that D’Souza was a middleman and was instrumental in connecting K P Gosavi, another panch witness, and Manish Bhansali, a BJP worker. Sail also alleged that he overheard a conversation between D’Souza and Gosavi about a R25-crore deal, of which R8 crore was supposed to go to NCB Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede.

 

However, D’Souza, in a TV interview, has confessed that Dadlani gave money to Gosavi in a bid to release Aryan Khan. He further said that after the deal got stuck, he and another middleman Sunil Patil helped Dadlani get the money back. He has also given a clean chit to Wankhede and his team and said that they were not involved in the case.    

The SET, on Monday, questioned D’Souza regarding the allegations by Sail as well as his association with NCB officers.

Sanjay Singh, head of the SIT formed by NCB, at the NCB office on Sunday. Pic/Bipin Kokate

Mumbai: NCP cabinet minister Nawab Malik on Sunday alleged that NCB (Narcotics Control Bureau) zonal director Sameer Wankhede was part of a conspiracy to kidnap actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan for ransom and BJP functionary Mohit Bharatiya was the mastermind of the plan. Malik made it clear that his fight was neither against the BJP nor the NCB, but he will continue his campaign against the “wrongdoers in the system”.

Both Wankhede and Bhartiya denied Malik’s charges, saying they are baseless and false. Calling them a “bunch of lies”, Wankhede said: “Malik is raising allegations without any basis. Aryan was produced before the magistrate’s court and sessions court, where he said he had no complaints against the NCB. In the Bombay High Court too, during the bail hearing, neither Aryan nor his lawyer levelled any allegations against the NCB. The defence even filed an affidavit in the HC saying they are staying away from statements made by a politician.”

But Malik said: “I am making the statement with full responsibility. Wankhede was the party of the kidnap plot in collaboration with Bharatiya, who is the part of his private army. Initially, the deal was fixed for Rs 25 crore. It was reduced to Rs 18 crore after negotiations, and Rs 50 lakh was given. Unfortunately, the deal did not work out owing to NCB witness Kiran Gosavi’s selfie with Aryan, which went viral.”

Malik said he has confirmed information that Bharatiya met Wankhede near a graveyard in Oshiwara. “They were lucky that the CCTV camera near the kabarasatan has not been operational for a long time, otherwise the footage would show the meeting.” He further claimed that Kashiff Khan, the managing director of Fashion TV India and alleged organizer of the “rave party” on the cruise liner, had invited Mumbai city guardian minister Aslam Shaikh and the children of the cabinet members in the MVA government on the ship. “But Shaikh refused his invitation,” Malik said. He also alleged that besides Bharatiya, his brother-in-law Rishabh Saachdeva, Pratik Gabba and Aamir Furniturewala were instrumental in taking Aryan to the cruise ship. “Why were they not arrested by Wankhede,” he asked.

Bharatiya said Malik and Sunil Patil, who first gave a tip off to the NCB about the cruise party, were friends for 20 years. “When Patil used to party in The Lalit hotel, Malik would go too. Today, Malik has confirmed his relations with him; it’s a conspiracy set up by the NCP along with Patil,” he said. “I had earlier said that a cabinet minister, who has relations with drug peddlers, was involved in a cruise party. Today Malik has confirmed that Shaikh has relations with Khan and that the children of NCP leaders and ministers were in contact with peddlers and were invited to parties.”

“I am open for any inquiry...Malik should prove his allegations,” said Bharatiya. “I will go to court on all the allegations. I have also filed cases in the court for defamation...The NCP must clarify its relations with Patil...”

(Inputs by Chaitanya Marpakwar)

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Addressing his ninth press conference after the arrest of Aryan Khan, now out on bail, state minister Nawab Malik said on Sunday that an informer named Sanville D’Souza, alias Sam, orchestrated a deal between NCB officer Sameer Wankhede and Shah Rukh Khan’s manager Pooja Dadlani to let the actor’s son walk away. The matter wouldn’t have blown up had K P Gosavi’s selfie with Aryan not gone viral, said the minister.

Malik said Sam is an accused in the agency’s weed bakery case, but he was never arrested despite being summoned. Keeping up his allegations against Narcotics Control Bureau’s Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede has his own army to extort money from people and D’Souza was a part of it. Malik also said that some other NCB officers were also involved in what he called Wenkhede’s design. He said D’Souza was summoned by the NCB in June. Malik shared on Twitter what he claimed to be a copy of the summons.

The minister shared an audio clip purportedly between a top NCB officer and D’Souza. The officer purportedly tells D’Souza to report before the agency and that he should not “think of changing his phone as he has all IMEI details”. On D’Souza’s request, the officer gives him more time, claims the audio clip.

“I want to ask the agency why he was not arrested and what happened after the summons? As per my information, he [Sam D’Souza] paid some amount to the officer and became an informer. He was just involved in making deals for NCB and collecting money as we can see what is happening in the cruise drug case. He is one of the main culprits behind the extortion money taken from Pooja Dadlani,” Malik said.

The minister said he has nothing against NCB. “I am not saying that entire NCB is fraud but because of one person and his army, the image of NCB is at stake and the senior officers should not let this happen, they should probe and find the truth.” 

A source from the NCB requesting anonymity said, “He [Sam D’Souza] was called for clarity based on some facts that surfaced during the investigation. He was not arrested as there was not enough material against him.” The officer also said that D’Souza was summoned in a case of one accused who is the son of a former ACP of Mumbai police.

Malik said one of the six cases taken over by the NCB’s SIT is the one involving his son-in-law Sameer Khan. He said if this is an attempt to browbeat him, he won’t submit to such tactics. Claiming that there is apparent pressure on SRK and his manager, he said, “I urged them that they are victims and they should fear about anything.”

Meanwhile, Sunil Patil, another mysterious personality in the alleged extortion attempt from SRK’s manager Dadlani, came forward following D’Souza allegations that it was Patil who had introduced him to NCB’s panch witnesses K P Gosavi and Manish Bhanushali. Patil told the press that D’Souza is known him since the last one year. “He [D’souza] called me that he had information about the Cordelia cruise arty and wanted me to help and I connected him with Bhanushali and Gosavi. After everything happened I got involved again and because of my intervention, Gosavi returned all the money to Sam D’Souza,” said Patil.

Patil also said that D’Souza wanted his help over the NCB summons. “I told him that I don’t know anyone in NCB. He later asked for monetary help as he was supposed to pay to someone in the NCB. He was let off after he paid R25 lakh,” Patil said.

Patil said he has no connection with NCB and Nawab Malik as alleged by BJP’s Mohit Kamboj, alias Bharatiya. “I was associated with NCP till 2016 and after that I am not with any political party. The allegations made by Kamboj is baseless I have never met Malik I spoke to him once on October 10 after his press conference on the Aryan Khan case.”

Patil, who gave his statement to the Mumbai police SIT that is probing the extortion allegations against Wankhede and others on witness Prabhakar Sail’s complaint, said he was threatened and beaten in a Delhi hotel by Manish Bhanushali and others. He said they were forcing him to speak to the media in favour of Wankhede.

NCB’s SIT lead IPS Sanjay Singh had issued summons to Aryan Khan to record his fresh statement on Sunday, but he didn’t appear citing personal reasons. Singh said Aryan’s friend Arbaaz Merchant and another accused Aachit Kumar recorded their statement. They were with the SIT for about 9 hours.

Mumbai: Sam D’Souza, one of the persons mentioned in the affidavit submitted by Prabhakar Sail, a witness in the cruise drug bust case, has claimed in a television interview that Shah Rukh Khan’s manager, Pooja Dadlani, had paid money hoping to save the actor’s son Aryan from arrest, but the money was returned when they realised it was not possible.

D’Souza, a businessman, alleged that Dadlani had handed over Rs 50 lakh to K P Gosavi, another witness in the same case, but when he realised that Gosavi was a “cheat”, he asked him to return the money to her.

Sail, in his affidavit, had mentioned that Gosavi, Dadlani and D’Souza met early October 3 at Lower Parel. Sail, bodyguard to Gosavi, dropped him to his Vashi residence. Gosavi later asked Sail to pick up money from outside a hotel in Tardeo. A person arrived in a car and gave Sail two bags, which he took to D’Souza at Trident Hotel. D’Souza counted the money and said it was only Rs 38 lakh, the affidavit stated. Sail claimed to have overheard a conversation where Gosavi and others discussed demanding Rs 25 crore, of which Rs 8 crore was to be paid to NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede.

“After much abuse and pressure, we managed to recover Rs 38 lakh from Gosavi, the rest we contributed and paid back to Dadlani and we understood that Gosavi was a cheat,” D’Souza told the TV channel.

D’Souza clarified that Gosavi had saved Sail’s phone number as ‘SW’ and told him that he was under pressure from ‘SW’ (Sameer Wankhede). But, through Truecaller app, D’Souza realised it was Sail’s number.

Clarifying that he had nothing to do with the October 2 raid, D’souza said he got a call from one Sunil Patil on October 1, who claimed to have some information about the party onboard the cruise ship the next day. “Patil asked me to connect him to the NCB. Hence, I called up Gosavi and connected the duo,” he claimed.

D’Souza said he assumed that Gosavi had recorded Aryan’s voice note saying, “Papa, I am in NCB’s custody,” in his phone. Aryan told Gosavi to contact Dadlani and he is believed to have sent this voice note to her to reaffirm that he has access to the NCB office and was bargaining on behalf of an NCB official.

D’Souza said he agreed to help only after Gosavi told him that no drugs were found on Aryan and he then sent a message to Dadlani through a contact. “I never absconded. I will file an affidavit in a day or two as unknown people have been calling me and visiting my house impersonating police and issuing threats,” he said.

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The BJP has distanced itself from NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede. Addressing a press conference at Bandra on Tuesday, BJP MLA Ashish Shelar said it is not the party’s job to give Wankhede a character certificate. “We support NCB in its action against drugs ...Action must be initiated against those in possession of drugs like charas, ganja or even herbal tobacco irrespective of the quantity and the person involved,” he said.

Accusing NCP’s Nawab Malik of being secretive and fabricating issues, Shelar said he has been making “revelations of past incidents” since Aryan Khan’s arrest. “Malik’s son-in-law was arrested for drug possession and was in jail for eight months. It is clear Malik knew about the deals and has violated his constitutional oath of office by not informing the governor...”

Shelar said ever since BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis threatened to “drop a bomb” against Malik, there has been a change in the latter’s tone and body language.

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.

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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Mumbai: State home minister Dilip Walse Patil said on Monday that “we have gone through Prabhakar Sail’s affidavit” in which he levelled allegations against NCB. Walse Patil said, “He has said he fears for his life. We have given him police protection as his wish.” On Monday, Sail visited the Mumbai police headquarters to lodge a complaint. Sources said he was asked to approach Sahar police station, under whose jurisdiction he stays. Sahar police said they are looking into the complaint.

K P Gosavi, for his part, clarified that the selfie with Aryan Khan that had gone viral after the October 2 raid was taken on the cruise terminal and not at the NCB office. He said he had received information about the drugs racket from a source and had informed the NCB. He said there was a threat to his life.

Gosavi, who claims to run a private detective agency, is one of nine independent witnesses. There are offences of cheating registered against him in Thane and Pune. Pune police recently issued a lookout circular against him in connection with a 2018 cheating case. In an interview to electronic media, Gosavi said he was very much available in Mumbai till October 6, but as he started getting threat calls from unknown numbers, he had to go into hiding.

Recalling the sequence of events of the NCB raid, he said that as he got information on the drugs, he passed it on to NCB officials, and when he went to the cruise, he first met NCB superintendent V V Singh and later met Wankhede. Until then he did not know about Wankhede, he said. In the early hours of October 3, Sail claimed that while escorting Gosavi, he overheard him discussing a demand of Rs. 25 crore and his willingness to “settle” at Rs. 18 crore, of which Rs. 8 crore was to be allegedly paid to Wankhede.

Meanwhile, TOI visited Adarsh building in Waghbil, Thane, where Gosavi used to live. A security guard there said, “Gosavi lived as a tenant on the 2nd floor for a couple of months. He used to come with a woman and a bodyguard in an SUV, which had a metal plate with ‘police’ written on it. He mostly used to come late night and kept changing vehicles, but with the ‘police’ plate inside.” The guard added, “Most of the time, he used to move around like a cop, holding two mobiles and a cigarette case.” He said Gosavi left the place around the time of the Ganesh festival. The guard said a couple of days ago, a team of Pune police and local cops had come to the place.

TOI visited another locked flat in Sector 28, Vashi. A guard said, “Gosavi came to stay with his wife here in September. Ever since his name flashed on TV, he stopped visiting.”

—Inputs from Nishikant Karlikar & George Mendonca