The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) is under great spotlight of recently after the arrest of actor son, Aryan Khan, as its zonal director, Sameer Wankhede approached a special court on Monday against the allegations of extortion levelled against them in the cruise drugs seizure case. The bail application of star son is already awaited for hearing before the Bombay High Court on October 26, 2021.
The sequence of event that flows from NCB who has ordered a vigilance inquiry into the claims made by an independent witness in the cruise drugs case of an extortion bid of Rs 25 crore by some agency officials, including its Mumbai zonal director Sameer Wankhede, and others for letting off accused Aryan Khan, son of actor Shah Rukh Khan.
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and Wankhede had earlier in the day filed two separate affidavits before this special court against the allegations of extortion attempt levelled against them. The anti-drugs agency and Wankhede in their affidavits said this was an attempt to create hurdles and scuttle the investigation in the case. The NCB in its affidavit sought that there should be no tampering with the evidence or investigation, while Wankhede refuted the allegations raised against him. In the affidavits, the anti-drugs agency and Wankhede sought the court to pass an order saying no court should take cognizance of the affidavit prepared by the independent witness, Prabhakar Sail.
According to news published in national newspapers, Prabhakar Sail, the ‘independent witness’, told media persons that he had overheard Gosavi telling one Sam D’Souza over the phone, after Aryan Khan was brought to the NCB office following the October 2 raid, about a demand of Rs 25 crore and “to settle at Rs 18 crore as they have to give Rs eight crore to Sameer Wankhede”. Sail had said he would soon release evidence to support his claim. The NCB and Wankhede rubbished these claims in their affidavits submitted to the court on Monday.
IRS officer Wankhede on Sunday also wrote to Mumbai Police Commissioner Hemant Nagrale, seeking protection from likely legal action “being planned” against him by unknown persons to falsely frame him concerning an alleged vigilance related issue.
An NCB team led by Wankhede earlier this month allegedly seized drugs onboard a cruise ship off the Mumbai coast following which Aryan Khan was arrested on October 3, 2021. He is currently lodged in the Arthur Road jail in Mumbai.
Special Judge V V Patil, designated to hear cases related to the Narcotics Drugs Psychotropic Substances (MDPS) Act, disposed of the affidavits, saying such blanket orders cannot be passed.
“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,” the court said.
It added that the matter was sub-judice before the Bombay High Court which is scheduled to hear the bail pleas filed by Aryan Khan (23) and his co-accused in the drugs case Munmun Dhamecha on Tuesday.
“Therefore, no such orders can be passed by the court as prayed. Hence, the applications are disposed of,” the court said.
