Witness in Aryan case levels extortion charge, NCB denies

In a new disclosure on the drugs bust case involving Aryan Khan, son of actor Shah Rukh Khan, an independent witness has alleged an extortion racket, prompting a strong denial by the Narcotics Control Bureau.

Prabhakar Sail, who claimed to have worked as a bodyguard of KP Gosavi, who was seen with drug enforcers in a raid on a cruise ship earlier this month, said in an affidavit that he was forced to sign blank papers on that night. Gosavi, one of the witnesses in the case, is on the run and police have issued a lookout notice on him.

Sail allegedly heard Gosavi and another person discussing an amount of ₹25 crore, out of which ₹8 crore was supposedly to be paid to a senior NCB official, he said in a notarised affidavit. Sail said he had overheard Gosavi telling one Sam D’Souza over the phone after Aryan Khan was brought to the NCB office after the October 3 raid about a demand of ₹25 crore and to settle at ₹18 crore as they “have to give ₹eight crore to Sameer Wankhede”, the zonal director of NCB.

“We will give a befitting reply” to the allegations, said Sameer Wankhede, zonal director of the anti-drugs agency.

NCB enforcers had raided a cruise ship on October 3, and arrested Aryan Khan, his friend Arbaaz Merchant and model Munmun Dhamecha for possession and consumption of banned drugs. The three continue to remain in judicial custody and courts have denied them bail several times. Another appeal for bail will be heard on Tuesday.

“As the case is before an honourable court and sub-judice, Sail needs to submit his prayer to the court rather than through social media if he has anything to say,” the NCB said in a statement. “Zonal director Sameer Wankhede of the NCB has categorically denied these allegations.”

“The affidavit has been forwarded to the director general of Narcotics Control Bureau for further necessary action,” the statement signed by deputy director general Mutha Ashok Jain of the NCB said.

Wankhede also wrote a letter to the Mumbai police commissioner Hemant Nagrale on Sunday requesting him to ensure that no precipitate legal action is carried out with ulterior motives to frame him.

“It has come to my notice that some precipitate legal action for framing me falsely is being planned by unknown persons in relation to the alleged vigilance related issue in case number 94/2021 (cruise drug case)” Wankhede said in the letter.

The disclosures by Sail evoked responses from political parties opposed to the Bhartiya Janata Party, who have been protesting the handling of the case by the federal agency.

“I am going to demand an SIT (special investigation team) probe by Maharashtra police in this entire episode. I will personally meet chief minister Uddhav Thackeray to demand a probe,” said Nawab Malik, a leader of the Nationalist Congress Party that rules the state in alliance with the Shiv Sena and the Congress party. Malik is a minister in the state.

“Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has said the cases are made to defame Maharashtra. This seems to be coming true. Police should take suo moto (on its own) cognisance,” said Sanjay Raut , a leader of the Shiv Sena.

“The Modi government has been misusing central agencies against non-BJP governments. The statement by Prabhakar Sail has re-established it,” said Atul Londhe, spokesman of the Congress party. “The central agencies were used in Sushant Singh Rajput’s case for political gain and now being used in Aryan Khan case, too, for politics. We urge the judiciary to take a suo moto cognisance of the entire episode for the sake of Constitution as these cases have posed a challenge to democracy.”

Leader of opposition in legislative council and BJP leader Pravin Darekar said, “Nawab Malik and others have been levelling false allegations against NCB and its zonal director Sameer Wankhede. The ruling parties have been targeting central agencies and the central government for political reasons.”