“The initial impression given by Wankhede’s team was that drugs were seized from Khan. It was subsequently clarified that the contraband was found concealed in the shoe of his friend Arbaaz Merchant, travelling along, and was meant to be consumed by both on the ship,” a senior official privy to the development told ET. Wankhede wanted to raid actor Shah Rukh Khan’s residence too, but the NCB headquarters declined permission due to lack of evidence, the officer said.
When contacted, Wankhede said, “All due processes and legal procedures were followed.” Senior officers were informed regarding the seizures and evidences in the case, he said.
When procedural lapses became public, the brass distanced itself from Wankhede. “They included allowing the ‘panch’ witnesses to drag the accused to NCB’s office and post a selfie with the accused. Another video on social media showed ‘panch’ witness Kiran Gosavi seated next to Khan, holding a mobile phone close to his mouth, either recording or making Khan speak to someone. The NCB brass did not accept the justification the Mumbai team, including Wankhede, gave for the procedural lapses,” the official said.
When NCB’s five-member vigilance team probing corruption allegations against Wankhede recorded his statement, he refuted allegations of attempted extortion. He said he never demanded any kind of bribe to compromise the case against Khan, the NCB insider said. “He, however, said witnesses who made allegations of extortion should be given security as he suspected they would turn hostile,” the officer said. Wankhede told the probe panel that he was the ‘target of a smear campaign’ launched by a politician whose kin was arrested by his unit early this year. “Wankhede has claimed that the case made out by his unit against Sameer Khan, son-in-law of Nationalist Congress Party leader Nawab Malik, could be the reason behind the tirade unleashed by the leader against him and his family members,” another NCB insider told ET. Incidentally, a special court made negative remarks against NCB’s contentions while granting bail to Malik’s son-in-law.
In the cruise case affidavit, ‘panch’ witness Prabhakar Sail alleged that there was a ’25 crore extortion bid by some NCB officials, including Wankhede, to let off Khan. Gosavi, another witness whose selfie and video with Khan went viral, was arrested on Wednesday by police in Pune. He is wanted in a 2018 cheating case.
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