NCB orders probe into extortion charges against Wankhede

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has initiated an investigation through its vigilance team into the money-dealing allegation by Prabhakar Sail, a witness in the Mumbai cruise drugs case. “A report from DDG South West Region was received by our DG. He has marked an enquiry to the vigilance section …Chief Vigilance officer will be dealing with the enquiry appropriately… The enquiry has just begun, not right to comment on any officer,” Gyaneshwar Singh, Deputy Director General, NCB told mediapersons. Notably, Sail, who is the bodyguard of another NCB witness, Kiran Gosavi in the Mumbai Cruise Drugs case, has alleged that Gosavi took Rs 50 lakh from an individual after the raid at the cruise ship. On 18 October, a case was registered against Gosavi, the man who was seen accosting Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan at the NCB office in connection with the drugs-on-cruise matter.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra home minister Dilip Walse Patil on Monday said police protection has been given to Prabhakar Sail. Sail visited the Mumbai police commissioner’s office in the morning and met Joint Commissioner of Police (crime) Milind Bharambhe, an official said. He later approached the Sahar police in suburban Mumbai, seeking security whenever he comes to meet his wife, children and mother-in-law, who live in the Sahar village here, officials said. Walse Patil, speaking to reporters in Mumbai, said, “Prabhakar Sail has been given police protection. However, as I have not met (minister and party colleague) Nawab Malik yet, I cannot comment on what he had indicated earlier.”

In a related development, NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede told a special court in Mumbai on Monday that he and his family were being targeted and is ready for probe into allegations against him. “My family including my sister and deceased mother are being targeted,” the NCB zonal director told the court. Wankhede was appearing before special NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act) court in connection with the probe of drugs-on-the-cruise case today. Two affidavits have been filed in the case—one by NCB and another by Wankhede. Wankhede and Maharastra minister and senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Nawab Malik are at loggerheads over the investigation of the drugs-on-cruise in Mumbai.

Malik has shared the birth certificate of Wankhede on Twitter saying “Sameer Dawood Wankhede’s fraud started from here.” Following this Wankhede said he will fight Malik legally. “I have come to know about a fresh tweet by Nawab Malik about my birth certificate. This is an ugly attempt to bring in all the things which are not connected to all this. My mother was a Muslim; so does he want to bring my dead mother in all this? To verify my caste and background, anyone can go to my native place and verify my lineage from my great grandfather. But he should not spread this filth like this. I will fight all this legally and don’t want to comment much on it outside court,” Wankhede said.

Meanwhile, amid the probe into drugs-on-cruise case, Kranti Redkar Wankhede, Sameer Wankhede’s wife, has said that they are born Hindus and have never converted to any other religion. Kranti shared pictures of their marriage in a tweet on Monday. She said Sameer Wankhede’s deceased mother was a Muslim and his father is a Hindu. She also said that Sameer’s ex-marriage was under the Special Marriage Act, and he was divorced in 2016.

“Me n my Husband Sameer r born Hindus. We hv never converted to any other religion. V respect all religions. Sameer’s father too is hindu married to my Muslim Mom in law who is no more. Sameer’s ex-marriage ws under special marriage act, divorced in 2016. Ours in Hindu marriage act 2017,” she said.

Meanwhile, Bollywood actor Ananya Pandey who was summoned by the NCB in connection with Mumbai drugs-on-the-cruise case did not appear before the agency on Monday due to some personal commitments. Panday was supposed to appear before NCB for the third round of questioning in connection with the investigation into the case on Monday. The actor requested the agency for any further date as she cannot join the questioning today due to some personal commitments. However, NCB has accepted her request. The agency will fix any other date for fresh summons for some other date.

In a separate development, the NCB will move the Bombay High Court seeking cancellation of bail of Sameer Khan, the son-in-law of Nawab Malik for violating bail conditions in a drug case. “We will move for bail cancellation Sameer Khan in Bombay HC for violating bail conditions,” a top NCB official said. Notably, Nawab Malik’s son-in-law Sameer Khan was earlier arrested on 13 January this year by NCB in connection with a drug case. Khan was granted bail on 27 September, after eight months in prison.