NCB chief Wankhede seeks protection against possible legal action

Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede on Sunday sought police help for protection against possible legal action. Wankhede was apparently rattled by the revelations of NCB witness Prabhakar Sail in the case pertaining to the raid of the cruise ship in Mumbai.

Wankhede wrote to Mumbai Commissioner of Police Hemant Nagrale, claiming that unknown persons are planning to frame him falsely. He claimed that he had learnt of some 'precipitate legal action'.

Referring to Nationalist Congress Party national spokesperson and Maharashtra Minister Nawab Malik's statement last week, Wankhede wrote, "It is also brought to your notice that threat of jail and dismissal have been issued against the undersigned on public media by highly respectable public functionaries." He further requested the Mumbai police chief to ensure that no such precipitate legal action is carried out to frame and falsely implicate him with ulterior motives.

Wankhede had earlier approached the city and state police claiming threats to life. He further reminded Nagrale that the NCB Deputy Director-General, South West Region, Mutha Ashok Jain, has already referred the witness' sensational revelations to the NCB headquarters for necessary action.

After Sail's statements, a major political war was triggered in the state with the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi and allies Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party, and the Congress slamming the central agency and Wankhede. They have also demanded a suo moto investigation by the Mumbai police, setting up of a Special Investigation Team to probe the NCB affairs, intervention of the Supreme Court etc.