5-member team to examine Wankhede in Mumbai on Wednesday
Darpan News Desk IANS, 26 Oct, 2021 12:29 PM
New Delhi, Oct 26 (IANS) The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Mumbai zonal director Sameer Wankhede, who led the cruise ship drug bust involving Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan and later came under the shadow of extortion allegations, will be examined by a five-member team of NCB vigilance department on Wednesday, sources said on Tuesday.
He will be examined in Mumbai along with Prabhakar Sail among others, according to sources.
Sources said that a five-member team led by the NCB vigilance unit head DDG N.R. Gyaneshwar Singh would reach Mumbai at 11 a.m. on Wednesday.
Gyaneshwar Singh said he is not going to Mumbai on Tuesday.
"We do meet daily. I haven't called anyone. I haven't called anyone for my probe. I am not going to Mumbai today," Gyaneshwar said while evading questions related to the corruption charges on the probe agency.
Earlier, he had said that the agency will initiate an inquiry into the allegations of extortions against Wankhede made by an independent witness in the cruise drug case.
Wankhede on Tuesday reached the NCB headquarters in New Delhi to meet S.N. Pradhan, director general of the NCB. Interestingly, at the same time, Gyaneshwar left the office without meeting Wankhede.
When Wankhede reached the NCB office from the back gate, some people gathered there in his support. The supporters who were seen holding placards written 'global support for Sameer', denied the allegations, saying they want honest officers like Wankhede and he should not to be targeted in such a way.
Wankhede had reached Delhi on Monday night to meet the Director-General of the NCB, in connection with the allegations. According to reports, he may be questioned on the bribery allegations. However, while interacting with the media after reaching Delhi late on Monday night, Wankhede termed the allegations against him as "baseless".
"I have not been summoned. I've come here for a different purpose. Allegations against me are baseless," he said.
Mumbai NCB arrested Aryan Khan, son of actor Shah Rukh Khan in the cruise drug case investigation on October 2. Prabhakar Sail, the 'independent witness', in a statement to the media, claimed that Rs 25 crore was demanded by an official of the NCB and other persons, including absconding witness K.P. Gosavi, to let off Aryan Khan in the case.
Prabhakar told media persons that he had overheard Gosavi telling one Sam D'Souza over the phone, after Aryan Khan was brought to the NCB office following the October 2 raid, about a demand of Rs 25 crore and "to settle at Rs 18 crore as they have to give Rs 8 crore to Sameer Wankhede".
Singh said he will record the statements and analyze the evidence given by the witness, Prabhakar Sail, and submit a comprehensive report to the NCB. He said that certain facts have been reported through social media by the independent witness.
Talking of 'Sooryavanshi', the film is now set for a massive theatrical release after its run-ins with delays and uncertainties. The film which also stars Akshay Kumar, Jackie Shroff and Jaaved Jaaferi with Ajav Devgn and Ranveer Singh in extended cameo appearances, will hit the screens on November 5 and will quell the audience's hunger for a true blue Bollywood potboiler, this Diwali.
Special NDPS Judge V.V. Patil also declined the bail applications of Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha, the two others accused in the drug case lodged by Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).
The unverifiable reports, attributed to unidentified NCB sources, claimed that Aryan Khan was purportedly 'full of guilt and remorse' over his recent actions leading to his arrest and custody since the past 17 days.
It was last year, when Rhea made headlines after she was accused by Sushant's family for abetment to suicide and also siphoning off funds from the late actor. She was also named in a Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) chargesheet along with her brother Showik in a drug-related probe into Sushant's death case.
In a huge setback to Aryan Khan, a Mumbai special NDPS court on Thursday reserved its order on his and other co-accused's bail applications till October 20, even as the NCB virtually labelled him a 'junkie' regularly consuming drugs.
Produced by Ronnie Screwvala, Neha Anand and Pranjal Khandhdiya, written by Nanda Periyasamy, Aniruddha Guha and Kanika Dhillon and directed by Akarsh Khurana, 'Rashmi Rocket' also stars Supriya Pathak, Abhishek Banerjee, Priyanshu Painyuli and Supriya Pilgaonkar.
