News Analysis India

Tag: Aryan Khan

  • NCB being used to ‘defame, harass’ people: Maha minister Jayant Patil

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Maharashtra minister and NCP state chief Jayant Patil on Thursday claimed that the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) was being used to “harass and defame” citizens.

    Speaking to reporters in Ratnagiri, he also said that party leader and state minister Nawab Malik, who has levelled various allegations against NCB’s Mumbai zonal director Sameer Wankhede, was “bringing out the truth”.

    Wankhede is in the eye of a political storm following allegations of extortion in the high-profile cruise drugs case in which actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan was arrested earlier this month.

    The officer is facing the departmental vigilance probe.

    “The NCB is being used for defaming, harassing and putting people behind bars for a longer period. This has happened with Aryan Khan and many others. It has to be probed thoroughly,” Patil said.

    He said state minister Nawab Malik has made certain claims (against NCB officials) which can be substantiated with documents.

    “Sameer Wankhede is facing an inquiry before senior NCB officials, who have come to Mumbai for an investigation.

    The certificates provided by him, how he joined the IRS and got quota benefits—all will come out in the coming days.

    I hope the committee (NCB vigilance probe team) has not come here to cover up his mess,” the state water resources minister said.

    To a question on Malik’s allegations against Wankhede, Patil said the minority affairs minister was “bringing out the truth”.

    “The central agencies are making mistakes and diverting attention as well. These agencies are being used to harass common citizens,” he claimed.

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

    Wankhede has refuted the allegations and denied any wrongdoing.

  • Mumbai police set up team for inquiry into ‘extortion bid’ in Aryan case

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Mumbai Police has deputed police officers for enquiry into complaints of alleged extortion against NCB officers including zonal director Sameer Wankhede in the drugs bust case involving Aryan Khan, a senior police official said on Wednesday.

    Police are conducting inquiry into four complaints, filed by independent witness in the NCB case Prabhakar Sail, lawyers Sudha Dwivedi and Kanishka Jain, and Nitin Deshmukh, he said.

    All the complaints have been clubbed together. On Tuesday and Wednesday, police recorded Sail’s statement. Dilip Sawant, Additional Commissioner of Police (South Region) will supervise the enquiry and DCP Hemrajsingh Bagul will assist him as supervisory officer.

    Assistant Commissioner of Police Milind Khetle, Police Inspector Ajay Sawant, Assistant PI Shrikant Karkar and Sub Inspector Prakash Gawali will be part of the enquiry team. The order of enquiry was issued by Vishwas Nangre Patil, Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order).

  • No bail for Aryan Khan yet, Bombay HC adjourns matter for Thursday

    By Online Desk

    The Bombay High Court on Wednesday adjourned the hearing of bail applications filed by Aryan Khan in connection with the alleged seizure of drugs on a cruise till Thursday. 

    The matter will be heard after 2.30 pm on Thursday, the single-judge bench of Justice Nitin Sambre said.

    ASG Anil Singh, appearing for the NCB, told the court that he would reply to arguments made by Mukul Rohatgi, Amit Desai, and Ali Kaashif Khan Deshmukh, who argued on behalf of the accused, on Thursday. “I will try to finish my arguments within one hour,” said ASG Singh.

    Desai, appearing for Arbaaz Merchant, argued that there were no grounds for any kind of conspiracy as it was alleged. “If there are three unconnected persons coming for the same purpose, that is not a conspiracy,” he said. He reiterated the arguments made in the case of Aryan, that the WhatsApp chats were unrelated to the Mumbai cruise. On Tuesday, he had argued that the WhatsApp chats between Aryan and a friend over online poker were being “misinterpreted” by the NCB as about drugs.

    Senior advocate and former AG Mukul Rohatgi, appearing on behalf of Aryan Khan, concluded his arguments on Tuesday. He termed Aryan’s arrest “arbitrary”, as the court began its bail hearing on Tuesday. Rohatgi said neither there was any recovery of drugs from Aryan Khan, nor any medical test conducted or consumption of drugs found. So there was no need to arrest him. “No recovery, no consumption, I submit I am wrongly arrested,” Rohatgi said while arguing for Aryan.

    Also, there was no material to show that Aryan financed illicit trafficking of drugs, the former AG added. “Penalty is for consumption or carrying it. I don’t have it, possession of somebody else can’t be my possession. Unless it is in my knowledge.”

    Young Aryan should be sent for rehabilitation and not jail, Rohatgi had said while citing the Centre’s plans to bring in reform measures.

    A special court in Mumbai had on last Wednesday refused to grant bail to Aryan Khan and two others in connection with the seizure of drugs. Following this, Aryan moved a bail application in the High Court against the NDPS court order on his bail rejection.

    The NCB, in its affidavit, said attempts are being made to tamper with the ongoing investigation with a malafide intention to derail the probe into the case. “This is evident from the contents of a purported affidavit of one Prabhakar Sail,” the agency said, referring to the allegations of extortion attempt made by Sail, an independent witness in the case.

    The affidavit also referred to Pooja Dadlani and said: “this lady appears to have influenced panch witnesses when the investigation is ongoing”. The NCB said the bail plea was “misconceived and ill-conceived”.

    It said the probe into the case so far has revealed Aryan Khan’s role in illicit procurement, transportation, and consumption of drugs. The agency said prima facie investigation has revealed that Aryan Khan used to procure drugs from his friend Arbaaz Merchant, also an accused in the case.

    “The applicant (Aryan Khan) was in touch with some persons abroad who appear to be part of an international drug network for illicit procurement of drugs,” it said. The affidavit further said even though there has been no recovery from Aryan Khan, he has “participated in the conspiracy”. “Prima facie investigation has revealed that this application is not just a mere consumer of drugs as sought to be made out by him,” it said.

    The applicant has not made out any case for enlargement of bail, prima facie, and/or otherwise, the NCB said. “The role of this applicant (Aryan Khan) in the commission of grave and serious offences under the NDPS Act including illicit drug trafficking is apparent considering the nexus and connection of this applicant with the other accused in the case,” the affidavit said.

    It added that there has been the recovery of an intermediate quantity of drugs from the other accused in the case and hence, the case of Aryan Khan cannot be looked at in isolation.

    “The ingredients of conspiracy are clear and evident,” the affidavit said, adding that in such cases the quantum of recovery of drugs from an individual accused becomes inconsequential. The NCB also said it is still probing the case and a charge sheet needs to be filed. It said the agency requires sufficient time to properly investigate the international linkages so as to approach the foreign agency concerned through proper channel, which would entail some more time.

    Meanwhile, Aryan Khan’s advocates submitted to the HC an additional note stating that he has nothing to do with the allegations and counter-allegations that are being circulated between the NCB’s zonal director Wankhede and certain political personalities. “The applicant (Aryan Khan) does not make any allegations against any individual in the prosecution department,” the note said.

    It further said Aryan Khan has no connection with Prabhakar Sail, an independent witness in the case, who has made allegations of extortion attempts against Wankhede and others. 

  • Sameer Wankhede vs Nawab Malik: HC trashes PIL seeking to restrain Maharashtra minister

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday refused to grant an urgent hearing to a PIL that sought directions to Maharashtra minister and 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 city resident Kausar Ali, who claims to be a priest and a person working for the rehabilitation of drug addicts.

    Ali urged the HC 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.

    The petitioner’s counsel, Ashok Sarogi, mentioned the PIL before a bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice MS Karnik seeking an urgent hearing.

    The HC however, asked Sarogi to approach the vacation bench that will assemble from next week, or to wait for regular courts to resume after the Diwali holidays that will start on November 1.

    “Move the vacation bench or wait for the regular benches to assemble,” the HC said.

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

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

    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.

  • Police starts probe against Sameer Wankhede; NCB team reaches Mumbai

    By ANI

    MUMBAI: Mumbai Police have appointed an ACP-level officer, Milind Khetle to investigate the allegations levelled against NCB Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede, said police sources on Wednesday.

    All the complaints received against Wankhede will be probed by Khetle. Four Police stations in Mumbai have received such complaints so far, said the sources.

    However, the Mumbai police have not registered any case against Wankhede.

    Prabhakar Sail, who is the personal bodyguard of Kiran Gosavi and a witness in the Mumbai cruise ship raid, had alleged that Wankhede, Gosavi and some other NCB officers had sought Rs 25 crore from Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan to release his son Aryan Khan in the drugs bust case.

    However, the Mumbai Police did not elaborate what complaints that they have received against Wankhede. 

    Meanwhile, a five-member team of the NCB reached Mumbai on Wednesday to probe allegations of corruption levelled by Prabhakar Sail, a witness in the drugs on cruise matter of Mumbai, sources said on Tuesday.

    The team is led by Deputy Director General (DDG) of NCB Gyaneshwar Singh and 4 other NCB officers.

    The bodyguard of NCB witness Kiran Gosavi, Prabhakar Rohoji Sail alleged that Gosavi took Rs 50 lakh from an individual after the raid at the cruise ship. Sali had said, “I worked as a bodyguard of Kiran Gosavi. I assisted him during the Mumbai cruise drugs case.”

    Gosavi has, however, denied the allegations.

    Meanwhile, the NCB named Sail as a “hostile witness” in its affidavit in court on Monday.

    An NCB team busted an alleged drugs party on the Cordelia Cruise ship which was on its way to Goa at mid-sea on October 2. A total of 20 people have been arrested in the case.

  • ‘Wankhede let international drug lord off hook’: Nawab Malik’s latest salvo at senior NCB official

    By ANI

    MUMBAI: Making further allegations against the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede, Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Nawab Malik said that during the rave party in Mumbai cruise ship, in which Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan’s Aryan Khan has been arrested, an international drug lord was present on the ship and Wankhede allegedly let the mafia off the hook.

    Addressing a press conference, the Minister said, “The rave party was held when the COVID protocols were in place. No permission was sought from the Maharashtra Police or state home department. The permission was granted by the Shipping Director.

    “During the rave party, an international drug lord was present in the ship and the NCB officials, led by Sameer Wankhede, let him off the hook. The drug lord is a close friend of Wankhede. He should tell why did he (Wankhede) let him (drug mafia) go,” he further alleged.

    “I have the video of the drug lord dancing with his girlfriend. If the NCB does not take action, then he will release the video,” he added.

    ALSO READ | ‘Attempt to demoralise Wankhede’: PIL in HC seeks to restrain Nawab Malik from making comments against NCB

    He further stated that the issue is not the rave party but the forging of documents by Wankhede. “The NCB Zonal Director forged documents and made Scheduled Caste certificate in order to get into public service commission,” he alleged.

    Demanding a Central Vigilance Commission probe into the allegation of extortion bid of Rs 25 lakh from Shah Rukh Khan in order to release Aryan Khan, Malik said, “The Central agency had called Bollywood actors like Deepika Padukone and Sara Ali Khan last year (Sushant Singh Rajput case), similarly the CVC should initiate investigation against Wankhede in the alleged extortion bid.”

    Prabhakar Sail, on Monday, had alleged that Wankhede, Kiran Gosavi, another witness in the drugs case, and some other NCB officials had sought Rs 25 lakh from Shah Rukh Khan.

    Sail is also a witness in the Mumbai cruise ship drug case.

    Malik also said that the pictures and the post that he is putting out are false then he would resign from public life.

    ALSO READ | Drugs fiasco: After Sameer Wankhede, NCP targets vigilance chief probing NCB official

    Aryan Khan, son of actor Shah Rukh Khan, was arrested on October 3. An NCB team busted an alleged drugs party on the Cordelia Cruise ship which was on its way to Goa at mid-sea on October 2. A total of 20 people, including two Nigerian nationals, have been arrested so far in the case.

    Aryan Khan’s bail plea was rejected by the special court on October 20 in the case following which his judicial custody in the matter got extended till October 30. Khan approached the Bombay High Court for an urgent bail hearing.

  • Aryan Khan case: Mumbai Police record statement of witness Sail for eight hours

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Mumbai Police recorded the statement of independent witness Prabhakar Sail for over eight hours in connection with in connection with his allegation of extortion attempt by NCB officials in the drugs seizure case involving Aryan Khan, an official said on Wednesday.

    Sail appeared before the city police on Tuesday evening and the process of recording his statement was completed at around 3 am on Wednesday, he said.

    After recording his statement, Sail left the office of Assistant Commissioner of Police, Azad Maidan, early on Wednesday, the official said.

    He has been provided protection by the city police in the wake of revelations he made in his application, the official said.

    On Tuesday, Sail’s lawyer Tushar Khandare claimed that his client was “misused” during the Narcotics Control Bureau’s (NCB) raid on a cruise ship off the Mumbai coast earlier this month during which drugs were allegedly seized and Aryan Khan, actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son, was arrested.

    The city police on Tuesday said they received four applications alleging extortion by NCB Mumbai zonal director Sameer Wankhede and other officials, and have launched an enquiry to verify these claims.

    One of the applications was sent by Sail, who had alleged that he overheard K P Gosavi, another witness in the cruise ship raid case, talking to one Sam D’Souza over the phone about a demand of Rs 25 crore including Rs 8 crore for Sameer Wankhede, police said.

    Wankhede, the IRS officer who visited the NCB office in Delhi on Tuesday, has denied the allegations.

    A police official earlier said they will verify claims made by Sail.

    Police teams are also verifying locations of mobile phone numbers as well as CCTV footages of various places mentioned in Sail’s application, he had said, adding that appropriate action will be taken after the enquiry.

    The Mumbai Police have also received two applications against Maharashtra cabinet minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik an official earlier said without elaborating.

    Malik has raised a string of allegations against Sameer Wankhede and also accused him of illegal phone tapping and forging his documents to secure job.

    Sail on Tuesday said he stood by his allegation of extortion demand against Wankhede and others, and nobody had tutored him.

  • ‘Attempt to demoralise Wankhede’: PIL in HC seeks to restrain Nawab Malik from making comments against NCB

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: A city resident has filed a PIL in the Bombay High Court, seeking directions to Maharashtra minister and 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 public interest litigation (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 HC 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.

    ALSO READ | Drugs fiasco: After Sameer Wankhede, NCP targets vigilance chief probing NCB official

    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.

    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.

  • Two lawyers raise grievance before HC judge for giving priority to Aryan Khan bail plea

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Two advocates on Tuesday raised grievance that the bail plea of Aryan Khan, an accused in the NCB’s drugs-on-cruise case and son of superstar Shah Rukh Khan, was being given preference over several other cases pending for months before the Bombay High Court.

    The advocates – Subhash Jha and Amrish Mishra – raised the grievance orally and claimed to have filed applications seeking to intervene in the Aryan Khan bail plea.

    “We are supporting the prosecution (NCB) case (and opposing bail plea). But our grievance is more that this court is giving preference to Aryan Khan’s bail plea even as there are several hundred such applications pending before this court,” Jha claimed.

    There are many people who are languishing in jail for months and even years, he said.

    Justice N W Sambre, who is hearing Aryan Khan’s bail plea, said such complaints were not in good taste.

    “You (Jha) have appeared before me on several occasions and know for a fact that I sit till 7.30 pm to complete all the matters listed for the day,” Justice Sambre said.

    The judge then directed his staff to call out matters from the remainder of the daily list (of matters) and asked lawyers present in the courtroom if they have any urgent matters.

    Once other pending matters were adjourned, Justice Sambre resumed hearing on the bail pleas of Aryan Khan and his co-accused in the drugs case – Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha.

    The intervention applications filed by some social workers claimed they have information with regard to Aryan Khan and alleged tampering of evidence by some influential persons in the case.

    Justice Sambre said he would consider the intervention applications which have been filed at the end of the hearing.

    The HC judge will continue hearing the bail applications of Aryan Khan and his co-accused on Wednesday.

    Unprecedented crowding in the courtroom of Justice N W Sambre ahead of hearing on Aryan Khan’s bail plea in the Bombay High Court on Tuesday prompted the judge to leave the dais for a few minutes.

    The small courtroom on the first floor of the HC building was chock-full of lawyers and reporters before the afternoon session started.

    The court was to hear the bail application of Aryan, actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son who was arrested in an alleged drug seizure case on October 3, listed at serial number 57.

    Looking at the swelling crowd, Justice Sambre told his staff to ask the lawyers who did not have any matter listed immediately in his court to leave.

    “COVID-19 safety protocols are not being followed in this crowd. We need to follow the SOP (standard operating procedure),” the judge said.

    He then got up from his chair and stepped out into the corridor at the back while the court staff and police personnel requested people to leave.

    The reporters were also asked to go out, but were let in again after Justice Sambre returned a few minutes later.

    The courtroom then remained almost empty till Aryan Khan’s application was called out a little after 4 pm.

    Again, crowd swelled, and Aryan’s counsel Mukul Rohatgi, who had commenced argument, had to stop every few minutes due to the noise.

    In the melee outside, the latch on the courtroom’s door was broken, a court staff said later.

    The police had to shout that the judge had barred those not related to the case from entering.

    Senior counsel Amit Desai and advocate Satish Maneshinde told the court that their juniors and clerks were not able to enter through the crowd.

    The judge said there was not much he could do about the situation, but advocates’ clerks could be allowed to bring in case papers from the entrance in the rear, meant for the entry and exit of judges.

    But Desai and Maneshinde said they would manage, and after a while case papers were brought inside.

    The hearing on the bail plea went on till 6 pm and would continue on Wednesday afternoon.

    Later, the court staff were seen fixing the broken latch.

  • Drugs fiasco: After Sameer Wankhede, NCP targets vigilance chief probing NCB official

    Express News Service

    MUMBAI:  After targeting Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB)’s zonal director Sameer Wankhede, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) seems to be training its gun on Gyaneshwar Singh, the vigilance official leading the probe on graft charges against the NCB officer. 

    NCP spokesperson Sanjay Tatkare said Singh had earlier shielded Wankhede.

    “Vigilance chief Gyaneshwar Singh at that time not only defended NCB’s functioning but also protected Sameer Wankhede. So, can we expect the fair probe or just a farce probe against Wankhede,” Tatkare said. 

    The NCB has formed a five-member team, led by Gyaneshwar Singh, to probe the charges against Wankhede. 

    On Tuesday, NCP minister Nawab Malik said Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the “malafide actions” against Bollywood celebrities by various central agencies.

    Malik said the letter will emphasise how such actions will adversely impact the economy as Bollywood contributes 2-3% to the country’s GDP. 

    In another development, the Bombay High Court adjourned the bail hearing of Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan, the prime accused in the cruise ship drug haul case, to Wednesday. 

    ALSO READ | Witness Sail stands by allegation of extortion attempt in Aryan Khan drugs case

    Meanwhile, Wankhede’s wife Kranti Redkar on Tuesday claimed they’re getting threat calls and online abuse.   

    Team probing allegations in Mumbai today

    Earlier on Tuesday, NCP minister Nawab Malik met Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray and home minister Dilip Walse Patil demanding a SIT probe on NCB’s ‘extortion racket’.

    During the meeting, Thackeray raised concerns over NCB’s mala fide raids on Bollywood personalities on flimsy charges, Malik said, adding that the CM pointed out that the film industry is a major source of jobs for thousands of people.

    The NCB team probing graft charges against zonal director Sameer Wankhede will reach Mumbai on Wednesday.

    Sources said the five-member team is likely to look into all allegations against Wankhede — extortion, planting of drugs and framing the rich including Bollywood celebrities and politicians.

    Malik also submitted a list of 26 allegations against Wankhede, which included serious charges such as planting of drugs in the houses of celebrities in order to frame them and extort money later.

    ALSO READ | BJP acts like it owns central probe agencies: Shiv Sena amid row over cruise drugs case

    He claimed that he got the list from an NCB officer who did not wish to be named. The NCP leader demanded that the charges are serious in nature and, hence, be included in the probe against Wankhede.

    Reacting to the letter, NCB’s deputy director-general Ashok Mutha Jain said the agency will take cognizance of it. Malik further alleged that Wankhede was illegally intercepting the phones of people.

    Mumbai police steps in

    The Mumbai Police on Tuesday said they have received four applications so far alleging extortion by Narcotics Control Bureau’s (NCB) Mumbai zonal director Sameer Wankhede and other officials, and have launched an enquiry to verify these claims.

    One of the applications was sent by NCB independent witness Prabhakar Sail who had alleged that he had overheard K P Gosavi, another witness in the cruise ship raid case, talking to one Sam D’Souza over the phone about a demand of Rs 25 crore including Rs 8 crore for Sameer Wankhede.

    Earlier this month, a team led by Sameer Wankhede had raided a cruise ship off the coast of Mumbai and claimed to have recovered drugs.

    The team arrested Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan in the case along with others.

    Sail has sent the application against NCB officers to the Mumbai Police.

    ALSO READ | Police protection given to cruise drugs case witness Prabhakar Sail: Maharashtra Home Minister

    “We have clubbed all the four applications filed against NCB officers including zonal director Sameer Wankhede. We have launched an enquiry to verify the claims,” a senior officer said.

    He said all these applications have been marked to Mata Ramabai Ambedkar Marg police station and an officer of the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police has launched the enquiry.

    However, police refused to disclose the identity and contents of the applications filed against NCB officers.

    Police will also verify claims made by Prabhakar Sail, another official said.

    Police teams are verifying locations of mobile phone numbers as well as CCTV footages of various places mentioned in Sail’s application, he said.

    Appropriate action will be taken after enquiry, he said.

    Meanwhile, Mumbai Police have also received two applications against cabinet minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik, the official said without elaborating.

    Malik has raised a string of allegations against Sameer Wankhede, an IRS officer, and also accused him of forging his documents to secure job.

    NCB Deputy Director General Mutha Ashok Jain on Tuesday said they will take necessary action into the matter.

    Malik earlier in the day said he is forwarding a letter written by ‘someone in NCB about the various illegal activities of (Sameer) Wankhede’ to the agency’s DG S N Pradhan.

    The NCP leader also said the NCB should investigate the 26 allegations in the letter claiming an ‘extortion racket’ being run within the anti-drugs agency.

    When asked about the letter, Jain told reporters outside the NCB office here that he has “received a paper on WhatsApp” and they will take “necessary action”.

    Asked about the NCB opposing in the Bombay High Court the bail plea of actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan, arrested earlier this month after the agency raided a cruise ship and claimed to have seized drugs onboard, Jain said he will not speak anything about the case.

    To a query on a team of the NCB coming to Mumbai from Delhi to conduct a probe into Nawab Malik’s allegations, Jain said he also got the information about the agency’s team coming here.

    The NCB has ordered a vigilance inquiry into the claims made by a 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 Aryan Khan.

    (With PTI Inputs)