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.
A police spokesperson said the case properties of drug cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, in Amritsar and Fazilka were destroyed on Tuesday.
Addressing a gathering during at a state-level function to mark the martyrdom day of the Shaheed Kartar Singh Sarabha at his native village here, the Chief Minister said bestowing the Bharat Ratna award to Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Shaheed Kartar Singh Sarabha, Shaheed Rajguru, Shaheed Sukhdev, Lala Lajpat Rai and others will enhance the prestige of this award.
A Delhi Police team on Wednesday again visited the rented house, in south Delhi's Chhattarpur, of Aftab Ameen Poonawalla (28), who has been arrested for allegedly killing his live-in partner and chopping her body into 35 pieces for disposal. According to a senior police official, the police team, along with forensic teams, inspected the house again.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday interacted with several world leaders during the ongoing 17th G20 Summit in Bali, including US and French Presidents Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron, as well as his British counterpart Rishi Sunak. The Prime Minister's Office shared several photographs of his meetings with the world leaders.
For the second time on Tuesday morning, the police team took the accused Aftab Ameen Poonawala to the Mehrauli forest area to recover the remains of the body of Shraddha Walker which the accused chopped into 35 pieces. He was first taken to the area on Monday.
The body of a man, appearing to be in his early 30s, was found stuffed in a suitcase outside the railway station in Punjab's Jalandhar city on Tuesday, police said. The police reached the spot and found a red suitcase just outside railway station.
