News Analysis India

Tag: Sameer Wankhede

  • My fight against Wankhede’s fraud, says Nawab Malik as Uddhav government mulls probe against NCB official

    By ANI

    MUMBAI: Maharashtra Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Nawab Malik on Sunday reiterated his allegations against Narcotics Control Bureau’s Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede and said that he firmly stands by his statements and his fight was against fraud and not religion or caste.

    He also accused Wankhede of taking away the opportunity of the SC and added that the ‘fight’ is against the ‘fraud’ and not his religion or caste.

    “I stand by my statement that he’s (Sameer Wankhede) on post by forging SC certificate. He snatched away a poor SC’s rights. Fight against fraud not religion/caste. I urge Arun Haldar (National Commission for SC, Vice-Chairman) to maintain his post’s dignity,” the minister said while speaking to reporters here.

    He had earlier accused Wankhede of falsely framing people under NDPS Act. Notably, Wankhede was investigating the drugs-on-cruise case involving Aryan Khan, son of Shah Rukh Khan.

    “When I started (raising allegations against Sameer Wankhede), people I know told me to stop. They said that Shah Rukh Khan is being told that his son is trapped as he (Khan) speaks. My lawyer son was being brainwashed by other lawyers. He used to tell me to stop,” said Malik.

    Alleging that attempts were made to silence him, he added, “Some people said that matter relating to drugs involve money, goons and I could lose my life. Attempts were made to silence me. But I had said that we will take this to a logical end. If someone says they will kill Nawab Malik, then I’ll die the day I have to.”

    An NCB team busted an alleged drugs party on the Cordelia Cruise ship which was on its way to Goa on October 2. A total of 20 people were arrested in the case. Wankhede was given charge of investigating the case.

    Earlier on Thursday, Wankhede had moved Bombay High Court over the enquiry against him by the Maharashtra government in connection with the extortion charges levelled against him in the drugs on cruise case and demanded a probe by CBI or any central agency in the matter. The court had disposed of his petition.

    Meanwhile, the Maharashtra Social Justice Minister Dhananjay Munde while reacting to the allegations that Wankhede faked his caste certificate for the job, said on Sunday that if the department receives a formal complaint, it will investigate the matter.

    “If someone objects to the validity of the caste certificate of Sameer Wankhede and files a complaint with the social justice department, we will probe the matter,” said Dhananjay Munde, Maharashtra Social Justice Minister.

    Malik who has been levelling various allegations on Wankhede since the Mumbai drugs-on-cruise case came to the fore, accused him of using a fake birth certificate to secure a government job.

    He had alleged that Sameer Wankhede was born a Muslim but he forged documents, including a caste certificate, to pass off as a Scheduled Caste (SC) person to get recruitment under quota after clearing the UPSC exams.

    He had 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.

    Malik had also shared a purported picture of ‘nikah’ of Wankhede with his first wife Dr Shabana Quraishi.

    “Photo of sweet couple Sameer Dawood Wankhede and Dr Shabana Qureshi,” Malik had said in a tweet along with a photograph.

    In a subsequent tweet, the minister said, “Presenting shortly the ‘Nikah Nama’ of the first marriage of ‘Sameer Dawood Wankhede’.”

  • Nawab Malik says he published photos of Sameer Wankhede’s former wife with her consent

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik on Friday claimed that he made public the photos of the first wife of NCB officer Sameer Wankhede with her prior consent.

    The minister also said he has never said anything against Wankhede’s current wife, actor Kranti Redkar, and she should not play the “Marathi card”.

    Malik was asked by reporters whether it was appropriate on his part to use the photos of Dr Shabana Qureshi, the first wife of Sameer Wankhede, when the couple had divorced by mutual consent some years ago.

    Some BJP leaders too had raised this point.

    The NCP leader said when he received the photos from someone, he was told that the person (in the photographs) had agreed that they could be used.

    “Dr Shabana Qureshi was never willing to come forward or speak over this issue (earlier). When Sameer Wankhede started stressing that he is Hindu, they had to speak up. Her father then told everyone that they always knew Wankhede family as being Muslim,” Malik said.

    The state minority affairs minister also said he never made any comment or allegation against Kranti Redkar.

    “While she has been playing the Marathi card, I want to underscore the fact that I and my family have been living in Maharashtra for almost 70 years. Am I not a Maharashtrian?” said the NCP leader.

    Redkar should not forget that her husband was “part of a conspiracy to defame Maharashtra and Mumbai,” Malik further said.

    “I do not think a person will be saved only because he is a Maharashtrian, even if he belongs to certain caste or religion,” he added.

    Malik has levelled several allegations against Wankhede, the zonal director of the Narcotics Control Bureau, following a raid by the NCB on a cruise ship during which drugs were allegedly recovered and actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan was arrested along with others.

    The minister claimed that Wankhede got a government job in the Scheduled Castes category even when he was Muslim by birth.

    The NCB official has maintained that he is Hindu.

  • BJP plans to defame Bollywood and move it to Uttar Pradesh: Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik

    Express News Service

    MUMBAI: Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik alleged that the BJP has a larger conspiracy to defame Bollywood and Mumbai and later move the industry to Noida where Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath proposed to set up a film city.

    Attacking the BJP, the NCP leader said that the saffron party is using central agencies like Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and its zonal director Sameer Wankhede to defame and destroy the industry by levelling flimsy charges against Bollywood personalities along with harassing and forcing them to move out of Mumbai.

    ALSO READ| Will expose nexus between Wankhede and some BJP leaders: Nawab Malik

    “Bollywood is mini India where in people  from all parts of the country and globe happily stay and work. Mumbai has given name and fame to many hardworking and smart people irrespective of their religion and caste. The film industry has spread Indian culture across the globe and generated jobs for locals and outsiders. The BJP could not digest the glory and success of Mumbai and hence, are constantly attacking the city and its people,” Malik said adding that the BJP will not succeed in its malafide game plan.

    Malik said that the person who was arrested on fraudulent charges by Wankhede got bail and the person who was seen dragging Aryan Khan is now in jail for the cheating case. “The man who was threatening people for putting them in jail is now running for bail. The situation has changed and we call it Karma. Many more things will come out in public limelight against Sameer Wankhede and NCB,” the NCP leader said.

    Nawab Malik also levelled serious charges against Wankhede that he did not allow other honest officers of the NCB to conduct raids and take action against Kashif Khan, head of Fashion TV (India) who runs a drug and sex racket.

    “Kashif Khan is very close to Sameer Wankhede and hence, the latter will never take actions against Mr Khan. However, situations are slowly changing and we will expose all those who are a part of Wankhede’s extortion gang,” Malik said.

    ALSO READ| ‘Absolutely a lie’: Sameer Wankhede on Nawab Malik’s allegation

    Wankhede denied all allegations and said that these are lies being spread against him while his wife Kranti Redkar said that they will not speak on this issue now and will fight in court.

    Thank you @nawabmalikncp for taking a stand against the engineered campaign of hate towards the Hindi film Industry. It makes us feel less orphaned. Bollywood & Bombay/Mumbai are Intrinsically linked.This is the city of dreams after all & has sustained millions over the years.  https://t.co/seMh3WFRJE
    — Pooja Bhatt (@PoojaB1972) October 29, 2021
    Meanwhile, reacting to the minister’s remarks, actor Pooja Bhatt tweeted “Thank you, Nawab Malik, for taking a stand against the engineered campaign of hate towards the Hindi film Industry. It makes us feel less orphaned. Bollywood & Bombay/Mumbai are intrinsically linked. This is the city of dreams after all and has sustained millions over the years.”

  • Will expose nexus between Wankhede and some BJP leaders in Maharashtra’s winter session: Nawab Malik

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Continuing his tirade against NCB’s Mumbai zonal director Sameer Wankhede, NCP spokesperson and Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik on Friday said he would expose some BJP leaders and their alleged connection with the officer in the winter session of the state Legislature to be held in December.

    Referring to his own – “Picture is not over yet” – tweet that he had posted on Thursday after Aryan Khan, son of actor Shah Rukh Khan, was granted bail by the Bombay High Court in the drugs-on-cruise case, Malik said the picture will end with Wankhede losing his job and facing legal action for forging documents and securing a job that was meant for an SC candidate.

    Malik has levelled a slew of allegations against Wankhede, who led the raid on a cruise ship off Mumbai coast earlier this month, in which Aryan Khan was arrested.

    Talking to reporters on Friday, Malik said, “I am going to expose some BJP leaders and their connections with NCB officer Sameer Wankhede in the winter session starting from December 7.

    It will be a stormy session and once those names are out, the BJP leaders will not be able to show their face in public.”

    He alleged that Fashion TV head Kashif Khan had organised the alleged drugs party on the Cordelia cruise ship.

    Malik claimed, “Kashif Khan is notorious for distribution of drugs, for running sex and pornography racket and had posted the advertisement of Cordelia drug party on social media. Despite that the intelligent officers of the NCB did not call him for any inquiry or probe.”

    “One NCB official even told me that whenever they tried to take action against Kashif Khan, Sameer Wankhede opposed them. It is a murky business and more such cases will surface in the coming days,” the minister said.

    On his tweet, Malik said that he and Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut will have to complete this “picture” just like the famous scriptwriter duo of Salim-Javed, who wrote scripts of several blockbuster movies in Hindi in the 1970s.

    When asked about how this picture is going to end, Malik said, “The picture will be over with Sameer Wankhede losing his job and facing legal action for forging documents to get recruited via reserved quota for SC category. He was born in a Muslim family, but he forged his birth certificate to get this job.”

    As per Malik’s claim, Wankhede was born as a Muslim, but forged documents, including a caste certificate, to show that he belonged to the Hindu SC category to get a job under quota after clearing the UPSC examination.

    Speaking about his “picture” tweet further, he said, “Sanjay Raut has said that he would take care of the post-interval script. But going by the information coming out, it looks like we both will have to complete the picture like Salim-Javed.”

    Earlier, referring to Malik’s tweet, Raut told reporters, “Malik has shown you the picture till interval. Rest of the part will be completed by me.”

    Raut also said that Sameer Wankhede’s wife Kranti Redkar has no business in this controversy surrounding the her husband.

    “This is the case between NCB officials and the arrested persons. There will be no injustice to anyone,” he said.

    On Thursday, Redkar had written a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, seeking justice in the wake of the “attack on her family and her personal life”.

    In her letter to the CM, the NCB officer’s wife had said, “Being a Marathi person, I expect some justice from your side as my personal life is unnecessarily being dragged into a controversy.Had late Balasaheb Thackeray (father of Uddhav Thackeray) been alive today, he would not have tolerated such personal attack on a woman’s dignity.”

    Talking about it, Raut said, “The ED, CBI and other agencies are harassing Marathi people is more important. False cases are being filed against Marathi people merely to defame the state.”

    “The crime (in drugs party case has taken place here in Maharashtra; thus the investigation will take place here itself,” Raut said.

    Wankhede is in the eye of a political storm following allegations of extortion in the high-profile cruise drugs case.

    The officer is facing the departmental vigilance probe.

  • ‘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.

  • Wankhede family followed Islam; name of Sameer’s father is Dawood: NCB officer’s ex-father-in-law

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: The father of the first wife of NCB’s Mumbai zonal director Sameer Wankhede on Thursday claimed that he always knew the Wankhede family as followers of Islam and that the name of the officer’s father was Dawood.

    Talking to reporters, Dr Zaheed Qureshi said that when his daughter Shabana married Sameer Wankhede, the latter practised Islam, and would occasionally visit mosques.

    He also said that he came know about Wankhede being a Hindu after a recent controversy over his birth certificate.

    His claim came against the backdrop of Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik’s allegations that Sameer Wankhede was born as a Muslim, but forged documents, including a caste certificate, to show that he belonged to the Hindu SC category to get a job under quota after clearing the UPSC examination.

    After Malik’s allegation, the NCB officer had said that his father Dnyandev Kachruji Wankhede was a Hindu and his late mother Zaheeda was a Muslim.

    ALSO READ | Will give 3-day notice to Sameer Wankhede before arrest: Mumbai Police to Bombay HC

    He said his father retired as senior police inspector of the state Excise department, Pune, in June 2007.

    “We always knew the Wankhede family as followers of Islam. In fact, I always knew Dnyandev as Dawood Wankhede. We agreed to the marriage of my daughter Dr Shabana with Sameer because we had cordial relations with his late mother Zaheeda,” Dr Qureshi said.

    “It was an arranged marriage between Dr Shabana and Sameer, which took place in 2006. However, after the divorce, as it was a painful thing for us and we never discussed it and burried it in our minds. We even moved on with our lives,” he said.

    When asked about how he came to know about Wankhede’s claim of being a Hindu, Qureshi said, “After the controversy broke out about Sameer Wankhede and his birth certificate, my family came to know about it. In fact I knew late Zaheeda’s husband’s name as Dawood. I knew Sameer used to go to mosque occasionally.”

    Explaining his decision to break his silence over the matter, he said, “When Sameer claimed that he has been a Hindu since his birth, many people asked me how did I allow my daughter to marry him (a Hindu). It became an issue of prestige for me and my family. Hence I am making it clear that when the marriage between my daughter Shabana and Sameer Wankhede took place, the groom was practising Islam. His father’s name was Dawood.”

    Two years after Wankhede’s marriage, he had secured a government job.

    Responding to a question related Wankhede seeking a job under quota, Qureshi said, “When Sameer got the job, nobody inquired how he bagged it. You generally don’t go so deep into someone else’s life. In those days, it was not even a practice to find out whether the job is sought through some quota or not.”

    Responding to the claim made by Sameer Wankhede’s father that his name was Dyandev and not Dawood, he said, “All the documents shown by Dnyandev Wankhede are before his marriage with Zaheeda. He has not shown any document after his marriage. He accepted Islam then married to Zaheeda and lived a life of a normal Muslim.”

    “I have no idea how our personal photos and information has come out in media. We have done nothing or did not help anyone for it,” he said.

    Sameer Wankhede had earlier said that he married Dr Shabana Qureshi in 2006 under the Special Marriage Act.

    ALSO READ | Amid allegations against NCB ‘s Sameer Wankhede, his wife Kranti seeks support from Maha CM

    Both of them divorced mutually through a civil court in 2016.

    Later, in 2017, he married actor Kranti Redkar.

    On Monday, Malik had claimed that Wankhede is a Muslim by birth, and alleged that by “hiding” his religion, he (Wankhede) obtained fake documents and through this, the right of a backward class candidate was snatched.

    However, Wankhede had said that he belongs to a “composite, multi-religious and secular family in true Indian tradition” and he is proud of his heritage.

    On Wednesday, the Qazi who had performed the first marriage of Sameer Wankhede, claimed the officer belonged to a Muslim family otherwise the ‘nikah’ would not have been solemnised as per Islam.

    An NCB team led by Wankhede earlier this month allegedly seized drugs onboard a cruise ship off the Mumbai coast following which Aryan Khan, son of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, was arrested on October 3.

    Malik has repeatedly termed the cruise drugs bust case as “fake”.

    Malik on Thursday sought to know why no action was taken against organisers of the cruise party.

    He also claimed that an organiser of the cruise party was a “friend” of the Narcotics Control Bureau’s (NCB) Mumbai zonal director Sameer Wankhede.

    An NCB team led by Wankhede had on October 2 raided the cruise ship off the Mumbai coast and claimed to have seized drugs.

    The federal anti-drugs agency later arrested actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan and others in connection with the case.

    ALSO READ | More trouble brewing for Sameer Wankhede? Another drug case witness alleges being forced to sign blank pages

    Speaking to reporters here, Malik said, “A person with a beard, who was present on the cruise, is the head of Fashion TV, which had organised the alleged drugs party on the Cordelia cruise. The NCB has already claimed that a rave party was planned on the cruise.”

    “How come such a big party was organised without any permission? Why no action has been taken against Kashif Khan, who is the India head of Fashion TV and a friend of Sameer Wankhede?” the NCP leader asked.

    He also raised questions about the relations between Wankhede and Kashif Khan.

    “Why no action has ever been taken against him by Wankhede? I expect answers to these questions from Sameer Wankhede,” the minister said.

    Earlier, Malik on Wednesday said, “The Cordelia cruise drugs party organisers- Fashion TV- had not taken any permission from the Maharashtra Police or the state home department. They obtained the permission directly from the directorate of shipping, which comes under the Union Ministry for Ports, Shipping and Waterways.”

    The minister had also claimed that a member of an international drugs mafia was present on the same cruise, and asked how come he was moving scot-free, while some others were arrested.

    The NCP leader had earlier also levelled various allegations against Wankhede, including illegal phone tapping and use of forged documents to secure job.

    Wankhede has denied the allegations.

  • Will give 3-day notice to Sameer Wankhede before arrest: Mumbai Police to Bombay HC

    By Express News Service

    MUMBAI: The city police on Thursday assured the Bombay High Court that it will not arrest the NCB’s zonal director Sameer Wankhede without giving him three days’ notice.

    The assurance came after Wankhede moved the court seeking protection. Wankhede filed a plea seeking an urgent hearing. He said he feared that police would arrest him over allegations of extortion against him in the case related to drugs-on-cruise involving actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan.

    His lawyer and senior advocate Atul Nanda mentioned the petition before a bench of Justices Nitin Jamdar and S V Kotwal, seeking interim protection from arrest. Wankhede was a senior officer of the Narcotics Control Bureau and not a “drug peddler”, the lawyer said.

    ALSO READ | Mumbai police set up team for inquiry into ‘extortion bid’ in Aryan case

    Besides a direction to police not to arrest him, the petition sought that the allegations against him be probed by an independent agency such as the CBI or NIA.

    Wankhede feared that the Mumbai police’s probe against him was likely to be biassed and unfair, it said. He was a “decorated officer” of the NCB who was being subjected to “public vilification” following Aryan Khan’s arrest, the petition said.

    Prabhakar Sail, the personal bodyguard of now a key witness in the Aryan Khan case Kiran Gosavi, in his affidavit alleged that Wankhede and his associates had demanded Rs 25 crore from actor Shahrukh Khan to release his son Aryan. He and another witness Shekhar Kamble also alleged that Sameer Wankhede had taken their signature on ten blank pages and made them witnesses.

    Meanwhile, state minister Nawab Malik asked why Wankhede does not trust the Mumbai Police? “When he was arresting and harassing people on false charges, he was enjoying the limelight. Now, he is running pillar to post to save himself. We will expose him,” Malik said. He tweeted: “Picture (movie) Abhi Baki hai dost.”

    Nawab Malik claimed that the wedding of Sameer and Shabhana was done according to Islamic rituals and posted their nikah-nama on social media to substantiate his claim that Wankhede concealed his Muslim identity and forged documents to claim SC quota for the job.

    ALSO READ | Aryan Khan gets bail in drugs-on-cruise case, to be freed on Friday

    Earlier in the day, Sameer Wankhde’s wife Kranti Redkar wrote a letter to CM Uddhav Thackeray that as they are a Marathi family, the Shiv Sena should protect them from personal attacks. She referred to Thackeray as a brother, reminded him of the Balasaheb Thackeray’s days of protecting Marathi Manoos, and said they expected the same from his son.

    Meanwhile, Sameer Wankhde’s first father-in-law Zaheed Quraishi said they always knew the Wankhede family as followers of Islam. “In 2006, when Sameer and Shabana got married, Sameer was a practising Muslim. He would also occasionally visit mosques,” Quraishi said.

    “In fact, I always knew Dnyandev as Dawood Wankhede. We agreed to the wedding of my daughter Shabana with Sameer because we had cordial relations with his late mother Zaheeda,” Dr Qureshi said, adding that the marriage between Sameer and Shabana was an arranged one and it did not last long as the duo got divorced in the same month.

    Quraishi further said since the controversy over Sameer Wankhede’s religion, he was being questioned by people about how he allowed his daughter to marry a Hindu. “It became an issue of prestige for me and my family. Hence, I am making it clear that when the marriage between my daughter Shabana and Sameer took place, the groom was practising Islam. His father’s name was Dawood,” he said.

  • Picture not over yet, says Nawab Malik targeting Wankhede after HC grants bail to Aryan Khan

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: After the Bombay High Court granted bail to Aryan Khan, son of superstar Shah Rukh Khan, in the cruise drugs case, Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik on Thursday continued to target NCB’s zonal director Sameer Wankhede, saying the picture is not over yet.

    Tweeting in Hindi, Malik said, “Picture abhi baaki hai (The picture is not over yet).”

    The HC granted bail to Aryan Khan and his two co-accused over three weeks after their arrest by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).

    Aryan, Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha were arrested by the anti-drugs agency on October 3 and booked under relevant sections of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) for possession, consumption, sale/purchase of banned drugs, conspiracy and abetment.

    Malik, the state minority affairs minister, 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.

    In a video message circulated to media on Thursday, Malik said, “The officer (Wankhede) who arrested Aryan Khan and others has now approached the Bombay High Court requesting a restraining order against Mumbai police from arresting him. He had approached Mumbai police in the last week requesting protection. He must have done something really wrong and that is why he is afraid of action against him.”

    “The Mumbai police have informed the Bombay High Court that they would issue a notice of his arrest 72 hours prior if they intend to take any such action. I reiterate my earlier comments that this drug case is completely bogus. The kids were deliberately framed in this case,” Malik said.

    “If the case comes before the Bombay High Court, it will get squashed,” the minister added.

    Two other persons arrested in the case were granted bail a day before by the NDPS court, Malik said, alleging that all the arrested persons were eligible to get bail in this case, but the NCB prosecutor was making fresh claims in the case to delay the bail.

    Wankhede filed a petition in the high court and sought an urgent hearing, saying he feared arrest by police over allegations of extortion against him in the case related to alleged drug bust on a cruise ship.

    But the Mumbai Police assured the HC that it will not arrest Wankhede without giving him three days’ notice.

    Earlier, the NCP leader had levelled various allegations against Wankhede, including illegal phone tapping and use of forged documents to secure job.

  • Won’t arrest Sameer Wankhede without giving prior notice: Maharashtra government to HC

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government told the Bombay High Court on Thursday that it will not arrest NCB’s zonal director Sameer Wankhede without giving him a prior notice of three working days, in connection with the allegations of extortion and corruption levelled against him.

    Wankhede also moved the Bombay High Court on Thursday, seeking interim protection from arrest or any coercive action against him.

    He sought an urgent hearing of his plea challenging the Mumbai police’s decision to form a four-member team to investigate the allegations of extortion and corruption against him, in the aftermath of the cruise drugs case in which actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan was arrested.

    The Maharashtra government initially opposed the plea but subsequently, chief public prosecutor Aruna Pai assured the court that it will give prior notice of arrest to Wankhede.

    “We assure the court that three working days’ notice will be given (to Wankhede) before arrest by Mumbai Police,” Pai said.

    The HC disposed of the plea following the state government’s statement.

  • 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.