NCB SIT takes over 6 drug cases including controversial Cruise Drugs Case

Mumbai: A day after the NCB transferred the investigation of six cases including the controversial cruise drugs case, to a Special Investigation Team (SIT), the team reached Mumbai on Saturday from Delhi. The team visited the NCB's zonal office in south Mumbai in the afternoon, reports PTI quoting an NCB official.

According to reports, the SIT plans to cancel the bail granted to the minister's son-in-law- Sameer Khan- by moving to court. The move is expected to spark more political controversies as the minister has relentlessly attacked NCB and Wankhede regarding the case. According to news agency ANI, the decision to challenge Sameer Khan's bail was made early last month.

Sameer Khan was summoned after NCB found evidence of transactions worth Rs 20,000 with a drug case accused. He was arrested in January after NCB claimed to seize 200kg of drugs, which Khan claimed herbal tobacco. Khan was granted bail in September.

Minister Malik had attacked the agency and Wankhede for extorsion of Bollywood stars, forging caste certificates and creating a "fake" case to trap Shah Rukh Khan after the agency arrested the latter's son. Malik also claimed that NCB is trying to smear Bollywood as well as Maharashtra.

Wankhede reacted to the transfer of cases that the move was made at his request while NCB stressed- against rumours- that no officer has been removed from their post at the moment.

But, an internal inquiry has been initiated against Wankhede on allegations levelled against him.

Meanwhile, reacting to the development, NCP leader Nawab Malik said skeletons will tumble out in the SIT probe.

"I had demanded an S.I.T probe to investigate Sameer Dawood Wankhede for the kidnapping of and ransom demand from Aryan Khan. Now 2 SITs are constituted (state & centre), let us see who brings out the skeletons from the closet of Wankhede and exposes him and his nefarious private army, the senior Maharashtra minister tweeted.

In another development, BJP leader Mohit Bharatiya on Saturday alleged that close associate of NCP leaders is the mastermind of the cruise drugs episode. According to Bharatiya, one Sunil Patil from Dhule, "who is closely associated with NCP leaders including former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh", is the mastermind of the cruise drug bust episode in which Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan is an accused.

Addressing a press conference at Mumbai, Bharatiya also alleged that Deshmukh had met a drug peddler and Underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's aide Chinku Pathan at the Sahyadri state guest house here when a strict lockdown was in force.

Reacting to the allegation in Twitter, Minister Nawab Malik termed the allegations an "unsuccessful attempt by (NCB Mumbai zonal director) Sameer Wankhede's private army to misguide and divert the attention from the truth".