aryan khan drug case

Cruise Ship Drug Case: NCB Inquiry Finds Shortcomings in Investigation

While the vigilance inquiry had been ordered into erstwhile NCB official Sameer Wankhede, the report found no evidence of extortion against him, as had been alleged.

New Delhi: The vigilance inquiry by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) into former official Sameer Wankhede and his team has reportedly found “departmental and vigilance issues” with seven or eight agency officials, a report in the Indian Express has said.

The inquiry against Wankhede and his team was ordered in October last year following the NCB raid on the Cordelia cruise ship in Mumbai in which Aryan Khan, son of Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan, was arrested. Charges against Khan were, however, dropped in May this year, with the NCB citing a lack of evidence.

At the time, Wankhede was the Mumbai zonal director of the narcotics agency. He has since been posted to the Taxpayer Service Directorate in Chennai.

While the NCB sources cited in the Express report have not named the officials against whom the lapses were discovered, they said that “selective treatment” was involved in naming people as accused in the case.

Further, the newspaper noted that two other NCB investigations have come under the scanner due to the vigilance inquiry and that investigation in those cases is ongoing.

Cordelia drug bust

On October 2, the NCB conducted a raid on a party taking place on the Cordelia cruise ship in Mumbai after reportedly receiving a tipoff that drugs were being consumed at the party. Several people were arrested in the case in the days that followed, including Aryan Khan.

Thereafter, several controversies emerged in the case, such as the presence of a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and a ‘private detective’ during the raid; a war of words between the BJP and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP); and widespread allegations of impropriety on the part of the investigating officials.

On October 24, allegations of impropriety and extortion surfaced against Wankhede.

Also read: In NCB’s Handling of Aryan Khan Drug Case, a Familiar Pattern Emerges

Prabhakar Sail, who claimed to be the bodyguard of ‘private detective’ K.P. Gosavi, filed an affidavit in which he claimed that Wankhede made him sign 10 blank sheets of paper as a ‘panch’ witness in the case.

Sail also claimed that he heard Gosavi talk to one Sam D’Souza about a Rs 18 crore deal, of which Rs 8 crore “was meant to be paid to Wankhede”. Moreover, he claimed to have been given the cash by Gosavi, which he allegedly handed over to D’Souza.

In April this year, Sail died of a heart attack.

Wankhede denied the allegations. However, the next day, the NCB ordered the vigilance inquiry into the allegations of extortion. The inquiry was to be conducted by Gyaneshwar Singh, the NCB’s deputy director general (DDG) of northern region and its chief vigilance officer (CVO).

Today, nearly a year after the events of the case, the findings from the inquiry have surfaced.

Inquiry report

CVO Singh reportedly told the Express that the inquiry was completed three months ago and a 3,000 page report was submitted to the director general of the anti-narcotics agency.

Without naming any of the agency’s officers, the report recommended “stringent” punishment for those found guilty of the aforementioned departmental and vigilance infractions.

An NCB official quoted in the Express report said that selective treatment was meted out when naming some individuals as accused in the case. According to the source, the probe also found procedural lapses on the part of the investigating officers.

The report, however, did not find any evidence that Wankhede had been involved in extortion, as had been alleged.

Further, the inquiry report noted how information regarding the case was being provided by NCB officials to the media in a selective manner and as such, recommended that the agency formulate an official media policy.

Cruise Drugs Case: HC Rejects Pre-Arrest Bail Plea of Sam D’Souza

Rejecting the bail, the judge noted that the applicant should have first approached the sessions court.

Mumbai: The Bombay high court on Wednesday rejected an application seeking pre-arrest bail filed by Samville D’Souza, whose name had cropped up in connection with allegations of pay-off in the case of a drug seizure in which Aryan Khan, actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son, was arrested.

A vacation bench of Justice S P Tavade heard D’Souza’s plea on late Wednesday night. Rejecting it, the judge noted that the applicant should have first approached the sessions court. D’Souza claimed in the plea that Kiran Gosavi, a witness of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in the case, had taken Rs 50 lakh from Shah Rukh Khan’s manager Pooja Dadlani to get Aryan released.

The amount was returned after the NCB arrested the 23-year-old in the case on October 3, the application said. D’Souza further claimed that Gosavi had told him that no narcotic drug was found on Aryan, and he was, in fact, innocent.

There were allegations of corruption and extortion against an NCB official and others, including himself, and a deal of Rs 18 crore was struck for the release of “a prominent accused” (Aryan Khan), said the application.

Following these allegations, the Maharashtra government set up a Special Investigation Team to probe the case. D’Souza said in the plea that he feared arrest by this SIT, and hence he was seeking `anticipatory’ or pre-arrest bail and also interim protection from arrest (till the court gave its decision).

According to D’Souza, on October 2, he was informed by an acquaintance about the NCB detaining an “influential person” after raiding a cruise ship off the Mumbai coast.

He then went to the cruise terminal gate at the port where he met Kiran Gosavi and Manish Bhanushali (another NCB witness), he said. Gosavi informed him that the NCB had detained Aryan Khan and the 23-year-old wanted to speak to his father’s manager, Pooja Dadlani. Gosavi also told him that Aryan had no drug in his possession and was innocent, D’Souza claimed.

“Gosavi convinced me that he could help Aryan Khan get relief and asked me to connect with Pooja Dadlani,” the application said.

D’Souza then contacted Dadlani through a mutual friend and met her in Lower Parel area along with Gosavi. Gosavi showed her a list in which Aryan’s name was not mentioned and informed her that Aryan did not have any drugs on him and he (Gosavi) can help him get out of this situation, the application alleged.

D’Souza then left the spot and was not part of further discussions between Gosavi and Dadlani, the application said.

When he learnt of Aryan Khan’s arrest in the case the next day, he was shocked, he said.

He was informed by one Sunil Patil that Gosavi had taken Rs 50 lakh from Dadlani through his bodyguard Prabhakar Sail, D’Souza said, adding that “Gosavi and Sail are fraud and the main conspirators in the case.”

In order to protect his own image, D’Souza then got the money back and returned it to Dadlani through her husband, he said.

Prabhakar Sail falsely implicated him in the case, he alleged.

Gosavi is presently in the custody of Pune police in connection with a job racket.

Also Read: Kiran Gosavi, NCB’s Controversial ‘Witness’ in Aryan Khan Case, Detained in Pune

Sail had alleged that Gosavi attempted to extort money from Shah Rukh Khan for letting off Aryan in the case, and a part of the money was to be given to NCB’s Mumbai zonal director Sameer Wankhede.

Wankhede, who denied the charges, also approached the high court seeking protection.

The Maharashtra government assured the court that it would give Wankhede three days’ notice if it planned to take any coercive action against him.

Aryan Khan was granted bail by the high court last week.

(PTI)

Bombay HC Imposes 14 Conditions On Aryan Khan For Bail

Among other conditions, the court directed Khan to pay a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh with one or two sureties of the same amount.

Mumbai: The Bombay high court on Friday said Aryan Khan, son of superstar Shah Rukh Khan, shall be released on a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh with one or two sureties of the same amount.

A copy of the five-page operative order was signed by Justice N.W. Sambre on Friday afternoon.

This would help Aryan Khan’s advocates to secure his release from the Arthur Road prison in central Mumbai, where he is lodged, by evening.

Aryan Khan’s advocates will now take the certified copy of the HC order to the special court that is hearing the cases related to the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, along with the requisite documents and sureties.

Also read: Aryan Khan and the Right Wing’s Disdain for Bollywood’s Portrayal of Progressive Ideals

After verification, the special court will issue the release papers which would be handed over to the Arthur Road prison to secure Aryan Khan’s release.

In its order, the high court has imposed 14 conditions on Aryan Khan and co-accused Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha, who were also granted bail.

A single bench of Justice N W Sambre had on Thursday granted bail to Aryan Khan. 25 days after he was arrested during a drug raid on a cruise ship off the Mumbai coast. The high court had said it would provide a copy of its order on Friday.

(PTI)

Cruise Drugs Case: PIL in HC Seeks To Restrain Nawab Malik From Making Comments Against NCB

Citing some of Malik’s recent tweets, the PIL says the NCP minister has been tweeting and making claims against the NCB and its officer Sameer Wankhede to ‘demoralise’ them.

Mumbai: A city resident has filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Bombay high court, seeking directions to Maharashtra minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Nawab Malik to refrain from making any comments against the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), in light of the drugs case in which actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan is an accused.

The PIL was filed on Tuesday by one Kausar Ali, who claims to be a priest and a person working for the rehabilitation of drug addicts.

Ali has urged the high court to direct Malik not to make any comments against the NCB or any other investigating agency associated with the Aryan Khan case and officers of such agencies, saying it will demoralise the probe agencies and encourage drug abuse among citizens.

Citing some of Malik’s recent tweets, the PIL says the minister has been tweeting and making claims against the NCB and its officer Sameer Wankhede to “demoralise” them.

The plea claims that the NCB, under the supervision of Wankhede, has proven to be the “most effective” agency in the recent past.

The high court is yet to assign a date for hearing the PIL.

Watch | Was Aryan Khan Framed? Spate of Allegations Against NCB Official Sameer Wankhade

Aryan Khan (23) was arrested on October 3 along with his friend Arbaaz Merchant, fashion model Dhamecha and some others by the NCB, after it raided a cruise ship off the Mumbai coast and claimed to have seized drugs onboard.

While Aryan Khan and Merchant are now lodged at the Arthur Road prison, Dhamecha is at the Byculla women’s prison.

A special court for NDPS cases had refused to grant them bail following which they moved the high court.

Malik has repeatedly termed the cruise drugs case as “fake” and levelled various allegations against Wankhede, including illegal phone tapping.

Wankhede has refuted the allegations and denied any wrong-doing.

(PTI)

Mumbai: Lawyer Approaches Police Seeking FIR Against Wankhede, 5 Others Over ‘Extortion Bid’

In the complaint, lawyer Sudha Dwivedi has demanded registration of FIR against Wankhede and five others, including NCB witnesses in the drugs case Prabhakar Sail and KP Gosavi, and a person named Sam D’Souza.

Mumbai: A lawyer on Monday approached the Mumbai police with a complaint seeking registration of an FIR against Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) zonal director Sameer Wankhede and five others on charge of alleged extortion in connection with the drugs-on-cruise case, an official said.

According to the official, lawyer Sudha Dwivedi submitted the written complaint at the MRA Marg police station and also to offices of Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Milind Bharambhe and the state Anti-Corruption Bureau. In the complaint, Dwivedi has demanded registration of FIR against Wankhede and five others, including NCB witnesses in the drugs case Prabhakar Sail and KP Gosavi, and a person named Sam D’Souza over alleged extortion charge.

“We have received the complaint, but no FIR has been registered till now,” another official said.

The complaint comes a day after Sail claimed an extortion bid of Rs 25 crore by some NCB officials, including Wankhede, and others for letting off accused Aryan Khan, son of actor Shah Rukh Khan, in the drugs case.

Also Read: Aryan Khan and India’s Addiction to the Drug Called Majoritarianism

Sail said he was the bodyguard of another witness in the case, Gosavi, who is absconding after the NCB raids that were conducted on October 3 at the cruise terminal on Mumbai’s coast leading to the arrest of as many as 20 people, including Aryan Khan.

Wankhede has denied the allegations being made against him in this case. Earlier in the day, the IRS officer and the NCB filed two separate affidavits before a special court against the allegations of extortion attempt levelled against them.

Wankhede, in his affidavit submitted to the court, refuted the allegations levelled against him, and claimed he was under a “lurking threat of arrest as it does not suit some vested interests for conducting an honest and impartial investigation”.

However, the special court said it cannot pass a blanket order barring courts from taking cognizance of an affidavit prepared by Sail in which he has made allegations of extortion attempt by Wankhede and others.

(PTI)

‘Can’t Pass Blanket Order Barring Courts From Taking Note of Sail Affidavit’: Court to NCB’s Plea

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 and his co-accused Munmun Dhamecha on Tuesday.

Mumbai: A special court here on Monday said it cannot pass a blanket order barring courts from taking cognisance of an affidavit of an independent witness in the drugs-on-cruise episode, in which he has levelled allegations of extortion attempt by NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede and others on actor Shah Rukh Khan, whose son Aryan is an accused in the case.

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and Wankhede had earlier in the day filed two separate affidavits before the special court against the allegations of extortion attempt levelled against them.

In the affidavits, the anti-drugs agency and Wankhede sought the court to pass an order saying no court should take cognisance of the affidavit prepared by the independent witness, Prabhakar Sail.

As per the NCB and its zonal director, the allegations made by Sail were only an attempt to create hurdles and scuttle the investigation into 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 (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.

Also read: Politics Takes Centre Stage in NCB’s Probe Into Cruise Drugs Case

Therefore, no such orders can be passed by the court as prayed. Hence, the applications are disposed of, the court said.

The IRS officer also claimed that he was being personally targeted by a well-known political figure, and the only reason he can fathom is that the NCB had arrested “this person’s son-in-law Sameer Khan”.

Notably, Sameer Khan, now out on bail, is the son-in-law of NCP leader and Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik, who has been making a series of allegations against Wankhede.

On Sunday, Prabhakar Sail, in a statement to the media, claimed that Rs 25 crore was demanded by an official of the NCB and other persons, including absconding witness K.P. Gosavi, to let off Aryan Khan in the case.

Sail 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 on the cruise ship, 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.

“After spearheading the investigation in the cruise ship case, I am being personally targeted by a well-known political figure for reasons best known to him,” Wankhede said in his affidavit.

Wankhede’s affidavit claimed personal vendetta against him and his family members.

“I am under a lurking threat of arrest as it does not suit some vested interests for conducting an honest and impartial investigation,” Wankhede said, adding he was ready to face a probe to prove his innocence.

The NCB zonal director added that the court should take cognizance of such pressures put on officers with an intent to demoralise them so that the truth does not come to light.

“The present case (cruise drugs case) involves influential and rich persons from the higher echelons of the society in which all kinds of threats including that of arrest are made against me,” Wankhede said.

The Narcotics Control Bureau, in its affidavit, termed the allegations levelled against Wankhede and other officers as “completely false, misleading and mischievous and an attempt to malign and tarnish the image of an independent agency like the NCB”.

“The allegations of extortion against NCB officials and money changing hands is a clear attempt to undermine the ongoing investigation and create pressure with a malafide and ulterior motive,” it said.

The agency added that its officers, including Wankhede, have an impeccable service record, replete with honesty and integrity and they are working tirelessly towards making Mumbai a drug-free city.

Special public prosecutor for the NCB, Advait Sethna, on Monday submitted the affidavits before the special court.

Sethna told the court that Sail was threatening to release some evidence which would hamper the case and hence, appropriate orders should be passed.

An NCB team led by Wankhede earlier this month allegedly seized drugs onboard a cruise ship off the Mumbai coast following which Aryan Khan and some others were arrested on October 3.

He is currently lodged in the Arthur Road jail in Mumbai under judicial custody. The special NDPS court had last week refused to grant him bail following which he approached the high court.

Aryan Khan Drug Case: Witness Levels Sensational Allegations of Extortion

Prabhakar Sail said he overheard K.P. Gosavi, the private investigator who accompanied the NCB team, speak of a deal where Rs 8 crore has to be paid to Sameer Wankhede.

New Delhi: A witness has levelled sensational allegations of collusion and extortion hands against Sameer Wankhede, the senior Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officer, and K.P. Gosavi, a private investigator, in the Aryan Khan drugs case, NDTV reported. Gosavi is the investigator whose selfie with Khan went viral soon after the latter’s arrest.

Wankhede, the zonal director of the NCB, denied the allegations and said, “We will give a fitting reply.”

The witness, one Prabhakar Sail, who claims to be Gosavi’s bodyguard, was a panch witness in the cruise drugs case. He now claims that he was asked by Wankhede to sign as a panch witness and his signature was taken on 10 blank papers.

He filed an affidavit in which he detailed that he heard Gosavi talk to one Sam D’Souza about a Rs 18 crore deal, of which Rs 8 crore “was meant to be paid to Wankhede”. Moreover, he claimed to have been given the cash by Gosavi, which he allegedly handed over to D’Souza.

Sail also said that Gosavi has currently gone missing, alleging that the NCB has “abducted” him. Because of this, Sail said he fears for his life and that this is his reason for filing the affidavit.

“NCB officials may kill me or abduct me like Gosavi… As seen in the big cases, witnesses often are killed or taken away and I therefore want to state the truth,” the affidavit says, according to LiveLaw.

In his affidavit, Sail details events of the October 2 raid as well as several details surrounding it.

On October 2, Sail claims to have been present at the boarding area of the cruise ship where he says that he was asked to identify people boarding the ship. He claims that he was sent a series of images on WhatsApp to help to this end.

Thereafter, Sail’s affidavit claims that he was summoned by Gosavi at around 10:30 pm and saw Aryan Khan, Munmun Dhamecha and others with NCB officials. After the accused were taken away by the officers, Sail claims that Gosavi and Wankhede had him sign some blank papers.

The next day, Sail alleges that he went to the NCB office where Gosavi was meeting with an NCB officer, the Hindustan Times reported. Thereafter, Gosavi exited the office and met with D’Souza around 500 metres away, following which Gosavi rejoined Sail.

It was then that Sail alleges the phone call with D’Souza took place in which Gosavi refers to a “[Rs] 25 crore bomb” as well as the suggestion to “settle for [Rs] 18 crore” because they need to “give [Rs] 6 crore to Sameer Wankhede”.

Sail then alleges that Gosavi and D’Souza met with Pooja Dadlani, Shah Rukh Khan’s manager, in a car for 15 minutes.

The affidavit then notes that Sail was asked to pick up Rs 50 lakh cash and deliver that to D’Souza near the Trident hotel. However, it goes on to note that, when D’Souza counted the money, only Rs 38 lakh was present.

According to the NDTV report, sources within the NCB have categorically denied the claim, saying that CCTV cameras within the NCB office would show that “nothing of the sort happened”.

The NCB’s Mumbai deputy director general Mutha Ashok Jain has forwarded the affidavit of Sail to the NCB director general for “further necessary action”. He also reiterated that Wankhede has ‘categorically’ denied the allegations.

Also read: Bombay HC Refuses Video Hearing, Sets Oct 26 Date for Aryan Khan’s Bail Hearing

Khan was denied bail by a Mumbai court on October 21 and continues to be lodged in Arthur Road Jail. The bail application will now be heard by the Bombay high court on October 26.

So far, 20 people have been arrested in the case.