Six drug cases, including one involving Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik’s son-in-law, were transferred out of the Narcotics Control Bureau’s Mumbai section and turned over to a special investigative team commanded by senior police officer Sanjay Singh. Following extortion claims against the agency’s zonal director, Sameer Wankhede, who was leading the six investigations, including the Aryan Khan narcotics case, the cases were reassigned.
According to sources, the SIT plans to ask the court to revoke the bail granted to Mr Malik’s son-in-law, Sameer Khan, a move that is practically guaranteed to inflame political tensions given the minister’s constant assaults on the anti-drugs agency and Mr Wankhede. Early last month, the decision to contest bail was made.
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After the NCB discovered proof of transactions totaling 20,000 with an accused in another narcotics case, Sameer Khan was called. He was detained in January on suspicion of possessing 200 kg of “drugs,” which Mr Malik claimed was “herbal tobacco,” and he was granted bail in September. The NCB detained Aryan Khan, Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son, in connection with the drugs-on-cruise case last month, bringing his case back into the spotlight.
Mr Malik launched a barrage of accusations against the agency and Mr Wankhede, accusing them of extorting Bollywood stars, fabricating a caste certificate, and orchestrating a “fake” case to catch SRK. He further accused the agency of attempting to smear Bollywood and Maharashtra’s image. He recently published unconfirmed WhatsApp conversations between Mr Wankhede’s sister and a notorious drug trafficker. The chat, according to Mr Malik, was proof of a “private army” directed by the NCB officer that was capturing and extorting money from actors.
Mr Wankhede, the agency, and his sister have retaliated by accusing Mr Malik of a “personal vendetta” and fabricating stories to smear the NCB’s reputation. Unnecessary breach of my privacy with the intention of slandering myself and my family. Mr Wankhede also commented, pointing to Mr Malik’s claims that the officer lied about his history in order to get a government post. Mr Malik replied by claiming that the agency was “hiding” behind his son-in-case law’s in order to divert attention and criticism away from its treatment of these instances.
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The agency and officer have stuck behind each other and their investigations into the Sameer Khan and Aryan Khan cases, but an internal probe has been launched into Mr Wankhede, whose team was responsible for the two cases as well as four others. Mr Wankhede has stated that the cases were transferred at his request, and the agency has stated that, contrary to rumours, no officer has been fired at this time.
