Mumbai Police to start inquiry against NCB's Sameer Wankhede on extortion allegations

NCB Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede and State Cabinet Minister Nawab Malik

Following state Cabinet Minister Nawab Malik's allegations against NCB Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede, city police have received six complaints, officers said on Wednesday. Two of them are against Malik, and the rest against Wankhede and the agency. An ACP-rank officer of Mumbai police will conduct the probe. This signals the entry of the MVA government, as Mumbai police come under the state home department.

The NCB, the central anti-drug agency, is probing the cruise liner drugs bust case involving Aryan Khan, the son of actor Shah Rukh Khan. Now, Mumbai police have got involved in the matter with the filing of four complaints against Wankhede, with allegations of bribery in the same case.

ACP Milind Khetle, who will probe all the six complaints

All the six written complaints were filed across Mumbai, and have been consolidated at the MRA Marg police station. The ones against Malik allege that the minister is creating enmity over caste and religion.

The complaints against Wankhede and the NCB were about a bribe of R25 crore in the case involving Aryan. One of the complainants is NCB's panch witness Prabhakar Sail.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Milind Khetle will conduct the investigation into these allegations. Police have not registered an FIR yet. "We are ensuring that every aspect of these complaints is investigated," an officer told mid-day.

A senior officer told mid-day, "This will be a kind of preliminary inquiry in which the evidence of both the parties and the statements of the witnesses will be recorded. A report on whether a case has to be registered will be submitted to the senior officer. Further action will be taken in accordance with that report."

Meanwhile, Mumbai police on Wednesday recorded the statement of Sail, who claimed to have demanded Rs 25 crore through Gosavi in the cruise liner drugs case. On condition of anonymity, another police officer told mid-day, "CCTV camera footage of Sail's stated location and mobile location are also being extracted."

Sail's counsel, Advocate Tushar Khandare told mid-day, "We have come to know from the media that NCB has called Sail for inquiry, but he has not received any summons yet. I appeal to the NCB to send summons to Sail through the proper channel. We will fully cooperate in the investigation."

2
No. of plaints filed against Nawab Malik

4
No. of plaints filed against Sameer Wankhede

The six complaints

. BJP MLA Atul Bhatkhalkar has lodged a written complaint against Malik at Kurla police station, alleging that the minister has brought caste and religion in the case.

. Advocate Dhrutiman Joshi filed a complaint against Malik alleging that his statements against Wankhede amounted to obstruction of duty in the case.

. Prabhakar Sail, a panch witness in the cruise liner case being probed by the NCB, has filed a complaint, alleging that he overheard his former employer Kiran Gosavi, also a witness in the drugs case, talking to a person about settling the matter for Rs 18 crore, and that Sameer Wankhede would have to be paid Rs 8 crore.

. Advocate Kanishk Jayant has filed a written complaint before the Mumbai Commissioner of Police Hemant Nagrale and at Yellow Gate police station against five people for their suspicious role in the cruise liner case. Jayant alleged criminal conspiracy by K P Gosavi, Manish Bhanushali, Amir Furniturewala, Prateek Gaba and Rushab Sachdeva, and requested Nagrale to file an FIR for extortion and their suspicious role in Cordelia Cruise Drug Case.

. Advocate Sudha Dwivedi's complaint, filed at the MRA Marg police station and also sent to offices of Joint CP (Crime) Milind Bharambhe and the state Anti-Corruption Bureau, has demanded an FIR against Wankhede and five others for extortion of Rs 25 crore.

. Prabhakar Sail has also filed a written complaint against Wankhede at Sahar police station, and recorded his statement.