NCB, Mumbai Police probe graft charges against Sameer Wankhede

Mumbai, Oct 27 (IANS) Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) vigilance team and an ACP-level Mumbai Police officer have launched independent probes into the allegations of 'extortion' and other issues against the NCB Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede, here on Wednesday.

The NCB team arrived here this afternoon and is understood to have recorded Wankhede's statement besides summoning a 'Panch-Witness' Prabhakar Sail for probe.

At least four complaints lodged against Wankhede in different police stations in Mumbai will now be handled by the ACP who will investigate and prepare his report in the matter.

"We have started the probe. This is a very sensitive investigation, too early to share anything. We shall inquire all aspects and later inform the media of the developments," NCB vigilance team member Dnyaneshwar Singh told mediapersons briefly.

The two independent probes follow the series of allegations against Wankhede coming vide Sail's affidavit of October 23, besides the serial exposes undertaken by Nationalist Congress Party Minister Nawab Malik in the past three weeks.

Among other things, Sail had claimed that another NCB 'Panch-Witness' was allegedly acting as a conduit to extort Rs 18-crore from Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan of which Rs 8-crore was reportedly intended for Wankhede.

In Mumbai, at least 4 separate complaints have been lodged against the NCB officer on various counts, which the ACP level officer will investigate.