News Analysis India

Tag: Kashif Khan

  • Maharashtra minister Aslam Shaikh denies knowing Kashif Khan, says cruise party invite was just like other events

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Maharashtra minister and Congress leader Aslam Shaikh on Monday said he was invited by one Kashif Khan to the cruise party on October 2, which was busted by the Narcotics Control Bureau, leading to the arrest of Aryan Khan, son of actor Shah Rukh Khan.

    Shaikh’s reaction comes a day after his cabinet colleague and NCP minister Nawab Malik claimed that Kashif Khan, an organiser of the cruise party, had tried hard to get Shaikh and children of top ministers of the state government to attend that party.

    Malik has been spearheading the Maha Vikas Aghadi government’s attack on the Centre and the NCB, calling its drug raid “fake”.

    “I don’t know the individual called Kashif (Khan) nor have I met him before. As the guardian minister of Mumbai, I get invited to various events. This was one of the invites,” Shaikh told reporters.

    He said two agencies, the NCB and the Mumbai Police, are probing this case.

    “As far as I can recollect, I don’t remember speaking to Kashif on my mobile phone. It cannot be possible that I will have Kashif’s mobile number because I don’t know Kashif and he doesn’t know me. He met at someplace (function) and he invited me and the matter got over,” Shaikh added.

    Targeting the BJP and the Centre, Shaikh added that concerted attempts are made to defame the Maharashtra government and its ministers since the tripartite MVA was formed nearly two years ago.

    Shaikh said while all the focus has been on the drug cruise raid, similar attention is not given to the multi-crore drug seizure in Gujarat in September.

  • ‘Absolutely a lie’: Sameer Wankhede on Nawab Malik’s allegation of inaction against cruise party organiser

    By ANI

    MUMBAI: The Zonal Director of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Mumbai unit Sameer Wankhede on Friday rubbished the allegations of Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Nawab Malik that he didn’t arrest Kashif Khan, one of the organisers of the cruise party as Khan was his ‘friend’.

    “Absolutely a lie and I can’t comment. Law will take its own course,” said Sameer Wankhede while reacting to Nawab Malik’s statement.

    Since the arrest in the drug-on-cruise case, a war of words has broken out between Sameer Wankhede and Nawab Malik. Nawab Malik had accused Wankhede of favouritism. Malik also made serious allegations of extortion against Wankhede and has also raised questions on the authenticity of his birth certificate and marriage.

    Mumbai Police has appointed an ACP-level officer, Milind Khetle, to investigate the allegations levelled against Wankhede, who is leading the probe into the drugs-on-cruise case involving Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan.

    “All the complaints received against Wankhede will be probed by the officer. Four Police stations in Mumbai have received such complaints so far,” the police had said.

    Meanwhile, Aryan Khan is expected to be out of jail today as he got bail from Bombay High Court on Thursday in the drug-on-cruise case, as per his advocate Satish Maneshinde.

    The Bombay High Court on Thursday granted bail to Aryan Khan and other accused in the case including Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha after hearing of their bail pleas.

    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 Aryan Khan, have been arrested so far in the case.