NCB’s Sameer Wankhede Arrives In Delhi, Says Visit Unrelated To Extortion Allegations In Cruise Case

The NCB vigilance inquiry will be conducted by Gyaneshwar Singh, the agency’s deputy director-general (DDG) of northern region.

ANI Photo

New Delhi: NCB Mumbai Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede on Monday arrived in Delhi amid allegations of payoff in the drugs case involving actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan.

This comes after Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) ordered a vigilance inquiry into the “extortion” claims made by a witness in the cruise drugs case. However, NCB Mumbai Zonal Director clarified that he reached Delhi for an unrelated purpose.

On reaching Delhi, Sameer Wankhede told the media: “I have not been summoned. I've come here for a different purpose. Allegations against me are baseless”, news agency ANI reported.

Earlier today, NCB ordered a vigilance inquiry into the claims made by Prabhakar Sail, an independent witness in the cruise drugs case, who alleged an extortion bid of Rs 25 crore by some agency officials, including Sameer Wankhede, and others for letting off accused Aryan Khan, son of actor Shah Rukh Khan.

The NCB vigilance inquiry will be conducted by Gyaneshwar Singh, the agency’s deputy director-general (DDG) of the northern region.

“We have received the affidavit and a report from our DDG (south-west region) based in Mumbai and the NCB director general has taken cognisance of this report. He has marked it to the vigilance section for inquiry… We are a professional organisation and we are open for inquiry against any allegation against our staffers. The inquiry will be transparent and fair," top NCB officer Gyaneshwar Singh told PTI.

When asked if Sameer Wankhede will continue to probe the cruise case till this inquiry goes on, Gyaneshwar Singh said the question was “premature and we will take a call as the inquiry progresses, and evidence is gathered.”

A three-member team led by Gyaneshwar Singh may travel to Mumbai for “recording the evidence and taking submissions” in this case.

As per the PTI report, officials said that the inquiry will look at all aspects of the claims made by Sail and will also record the version of Sameer Wankhede and other officers of the Mumbai zonal unit involved in the cruise drugs case.

The inquiry team may also question Sail, they said.

Meanwhile, Sameer Wankhede and the NCB could not secure any relief related to an affidavit on the sensational extortion claims made by independent witness Prabhakar Sail.

The NCB and Sameer Wankhede had on Monday filed two separate affidavits before the NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act) court against the allegations of extortion attempt put up against them.

In the affidavits, the anti-drugs agency and Wankhede sought the court to pass an order saying no court should take cognisance of the affidavit prepared by the independent witness.

However, special Judge VV Patil, designated to hear cases related to the Narcotics Drugs Psychotropic Substances (MDPS) Act, disposed of the affidavits, saying such blanket orders cannot be passed.

Considering the nature of the relief claimed in the applications (affidavits), no such blanket orders can be passed. It is for the concerned court or authority to pass appropriate order at the relevant stage, the court said, as reported by PTI.

Nawab Malik’s Fresh Allegation

Besides the extortion accusations, Sameer Wankhede is also facing the claims by NCP leader and Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik who on Monday accused him of forging documents, a claim denied by the NCB Zonal Director.

Talking to a news channel in Nanded, the NCP leader claimed that Wankhede is a Muslim by birth.

“Wankhede’s name is ’sameer Dawood Wankhede', and he is a Muslim by birth. I have published his birth certificate (online). I had to try hard to find it...he got the IRS job on bogus certificate...I shall reveal more such acts of his 'bogusgiri',” he said, as quoted by PTI.

He also tweeted a photo of the purported certificate

The NCB zonal director once again criticised the minister, saying his action was defamatory in nature and an invasion of his family’s privacy.

“I have come to know about a fresh tweet by Nawab Malik about my birth certificate. This is an ugly attempt to bring in all the things which are not connected to all this. My mother was a Muslim so does he want to bring my dead mother in all this?”

“To verify my caste and background, anyone can go to my native place and verify my lineage from my great grandfather. But he should not spread this filth like this. I will fight all this legally and don't want to comment much on it outside court,” Wankhede told ANI.

(With Agency Inputs)