Aryan Khan Case Officer Alleges Targeted Over "Dead Mother, Her Religion"

Sameer Wankhede, the Narcotics Control Bureau officer leading the investigation into the drugs case that involves Shah Rukh Khan's son, Aryan Khan, hit back Monday at Nationalist Congress Party leader and Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik over the latter's allegations of forgery.

"The publishing of my personal documents is defamatory in nature and an unnecessary invasion of my family privacy. It is intended to malign me, my family, my father, and my late mother," Mr Wankhede said in his statement, adding that the minister's actions had put his family under "tremendous mental and emotional pressure" and that he himself had been left "pained by the slanderous attacks".

In an affidavit submitted to the special court hearing the drugs-on-cruise case, he wrote: "... I have been personally targeted, especially by a known political figure, (since) one Sameer Khan, a relative of this honcho, was arrested in a drug case... from that time there is a personal vendetta targeted at me and my family members... was threatened to be arrested and dispelled from my job/service."

Mr Malik, who has been spearheading criticism of the anti-drugs agency and its inquiries into Aryan Khan, the Mumbai drugs-on-cruise case, and an "international drugs cartel", this morning tweeted a photo of a document related to Mr Wankhede's birth and claimed, "the forgery began from here".

NCB sources earlier quoted Mr Wankhede as slamming the "shoddy attempt to bring in unrelated things. "My mother was Muslim... (why) does he want to bring my dead mother into this?" he asked.

"To verify my caste and background anyone can visit my native place and verify my descent 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 too much on this out of court," the NCB officer had said, according to sources.

Meanwhile, the NCB has filed a second affidavit - this in response to sensational Rs 8 crore payoff allegations by Prabhakar Sail, who is an agency witness in the Aryan Khan drugs case. In it the NCB backed Mr Wankhede citing his "impeccable service record... replete with honesty and integrity".

Prabhakar Sail - who also claims to be a personal bodyguard to KP Gosavi, whose selfie with Aryan Khan after the young celebrity's arrest went viral - has claimed he overheard a conversation between Gosavi and one Sam D'Souza on October 3 about a deal worth Rs 18 crore.

According to Mr Sail, Gosavi, whom the NCB had claimed as as 'independent witness' and is now missing, said Rs 8 crore of that amount would have to be given to Sameer Wankhede.

By releasing this affidavit before filing it, the agency argued, Mr Sail had become a 'hostile' witness.

Nevertheless, this will be investigated - by Deputy Director-General Gyaneshwar Singh, who is expected to talk to his colleague about this matter tomorrow. Mr Singh today refused to be drawn on whether Sameer Wankhede would be removed;  "It is premature to comment..." he told NDTV.

Nawab Malik's tweet comes a day after Mr Wankhede wrote to Mumbai Police and sought protection from legal action fearing "being framed" falsely with "ulterior motives". Mr Wankhede wrote claiming threats of jail and dismissal - seen as referring to Mr Malik's remark that he would soon lose his job.

Among other claims, Nawab Malik has also alleged Sameer Wankhede was in the Maldives during the lockdown and that he was targeting Bollywood personalities for an extortion racket. 

Mr Wankhede told NDTV: "I have gone with my children, with proper permission and my own money."

Nawab Malik has also repeatedly claimed the NCB case is "fake" and was triggered by the centre to malign the Maharashtra government. "Attempts were made to implicate certain people..." he said.

Also today, Mr Malik's colleague - the Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut, whose party is allied with the NCP - commended Mr Sail's courage and sought protection for him from the state government.

Mr Raut further indicated he would now take up the attack on the NCB.

Aryan Khan has been in jail since October 8, and he has been denied bail after heated hearings in lower courts. He has now applied to the Bombay High Court, which will hear his plea tomorrow.

No drugs were found on him; the case is based entirely on information from his WhatsApp chats that the NCB claims indicate he was in touch with an international drugs cartel.

With input from ANI