2 NCB officers part of Cordelia cruise drugs case suspended

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Two NCB officers who were a part of the probe in the Cordelia cruise drugs bust, which led to the arrest of actor Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan, have been suspended by the agency's Director General SN Pradhan on Wednesday. The decision came following vigilance reports by NCB Deputy Director General Gyaneshwar Singh. The two officers are V V Singh, who was the investigating officer in the case, and Ashish Ranjan, who apprehended Aryan Khan.

The NCB had earlier transferred Singh to its Guwahati unit and told him to not leave the headquarters without permission. Ranjan was transferred to the CISF earlier. According to sources, the vigilance team found that the officers were involved in unethical activities. The suspension letters, however, do not mention the grounds or the case for which they were suspended.

"Whereas, an enquiry against Shri Vishwa Vijay Singh, Superintendent, NCB Mumbai Zonal Unit, for his indulgence in suspicious activities as Superintendent contemplated. Now, therefore, the undersigned hereby place Shri Vishwa Vijay Singh, Superintendent under suspension with immediate effect [sic]," the suspension order read.

The vigilance team was conducting an inquiry against Singh in the Cordelia case in which he was the first investigating officer before the case was transferred to the special investigation team. The SIT was formed after minister Nawab Malik levelled series of allegations against former NCB Zonal Director Samir Wankhede, along with Singh, Ranjan and others. Meanwhile, sources said that Ranjan's suspension came in another case involving 380 grams of drugs.