Aryan Khan case: SET report says NCB officials stole valuables of accused
Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 19 May, 2023 12:03 PM
New Delhi, May 19 (IANS) The Special Enquiry Team (SET) of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has alleged in its report that members of Sameer Wankhede's team 'stole' valuables from the accused individuals caught in the Aryan Khan case.
It has been alleged that they stole Nupur Satija's Apple watch.
"There are allegations of valuables being taken away without documentation. Several witnesses examined by the SET stated that their valuables were taken away by officers of the NCB Mumbai without documentation. Accused Nupur Satija has complained regarding the theft of her Apple watch," read the SET report.
The Controversy
Sameer Wankhede, the former Mumabai zonal director of NCB, finds himself in a precarious position as allegations have emerged that he attempted to extort Rs 25 crore from Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan in exchange of releasing his son Aryan Khan, who was accused in the Cordelia Cruise drugs case.
According to the SET report, Wankhede and his subordinates neglected proper protocols during the drug bust case. The names of Aryan Khan and his friend Arbaaz Merchant were added at the last minute, while some other suspects' names were omitted from the original information note. The SET also found that the suspects' phones were not seized or documented properly, impacting the chain of custody for crucial evidence.
Testimonies from witnesses examined by the SET indicate that both the accused persons' belongings and those of other suspects were confiscated by the NCB officers without any documentation.
Also, despite Arbaaz Merchant identifying Siddarth Shah as his drugs supplier, the NCB allowed Shah to walk free. Subsequent analysis of Shah's phone conversations on WhatsApp and Telegram by the SET provided evidence of drugs consumption, casting doubt over the NCB's decision.
The SET also discovered significant lapses at the NCB Mumbai office, including corrupt CCTV footage and discrepancies between the DVR and hard discs provided, raising suspicions of intentional withholding of crucial evidence.
Based on this report, the CBI filed an FIR against Wankhede and summoned him for questioning.
However, in a relief to Wankhede, the Bombay High Court on Friday directed the CBI to refrain from taking any coercive action against the former NCB Mumbai zonal director in the alleged Rs 25 crore bribery case pertaining to the arrest of Aryan Khan after the cruise ship drugs raid.
Additional Chief Secretary A. Venu Prasad, Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA) Chairman H.S. Hanspal and head of Indo-German Energy Programme GIZ, Winfried Damm, also launched decision support tool and Amritsar smart city portal and renewable purchase obligations (RPO) portal for the state.
The two leaders will discuss ways to further expand the educational exchanges and people-to-people ties between India and the US, as well as the work together to confront common challenges from climate change, to workforce development and health security, it said.
There are no casualties in the incident, the work has been stopped, the causes are being checked and the crash site vicinity has been cordoned off, said the official of Ghoti Police Station, declining to be quoted.
Poonawala pleaded not guilty of Walker's murder and the matter has now been set for trial and has been listed for recording of prosecution evidence on June 1. A charge sheet running over 6,000 pages was filed in the case.
According to police, a group of masked robbers infiltrated the residence of the victim, who is involved in the paper trading business and is the son of a contractor, in Ashok Vihar early Saturday morning by cutting through window grills.
The NCB, led by its then Mumbai head Sameer Wankhede, had on October 2, 2021, carried out a high-profile raid on a cruise ship off the Mumbai harbour and arrested 20 persons, including Aryan Khan, the son of Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan.
