Sameer Wankhede, the senior Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officer investigating a number of Bollywood celebrities including megastar Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan, has sought protection from legal action fearing "being framed" falsely with "ulterior motives". Mr Wankhede wrote to the Mumbai police chief saying threats of jail and dismissal have been issued against him by "highly respectable public functionaries".
This statement is being seen as a reference to Nationalist Congress Party leader and Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik's recent remark that the officer would lose his job within a year, "They (BJP) have a puppet - Wankhede. He raises bogus cases against people. I challenge that Wankhede that he'll lose his job within a year... We have evidence of bogus cases," Mr Malik was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Seeking protection from "precipitate legal action", he said in the letter that "unknown persons" were planning to frame him falsely.
Earlier on Sunday, a witness had made sensational claims in the drugs-on-cruise case which is being investigated by Mr Wankhede. Prabhakar Sail - who claims to be a personal bodyguard to KP Gosavi, the alleged private investigator whose selfie with Aryan Khan went viral - claimed he heard a conversation between him and one Sam D'Souza on October 3 about an 18-crore deal. KP Gosavi, who has gone missing, said they will have to give 8 crores to Sameer Wankhede, Mr Sail has said in an affidavit.
That evening, KP Gosavi, Sam D'Souza, and Pooja Dadlani, megastar Shah Rukh Khan's manager, had a 15-minute meeting inside a car, read the affidavit by Mr Sail, who is one of the nine witnesses the NCB named in the case.
Prabhakar Sail also said following KP Gosavi's instructions, he received two bags of cash and handed them to Sam D'Souza. The bags contained Rs 38 lakh, he said.
Senior Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut has asked the police to "take cognizance" of the affidavit. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's remark was the case was meant to malign the Maharashtra government, appears to be coming true, he said. Mr Raut also tweeted a new video, apparently from inside the NCB office, where KP Gosavi and Aryan Khan are seen sitting together. Aryan Khan is seen speaking into a phone held by Gosavi.
Aryan Khan is yet to receive bail in the case. No drugs were found on him. The agency has told the court that his WhatsApp chats indicate he was in touch with an international cartel carrying on the drugs trade.
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