Aryan Khan case: NCB team records statement of Sameer Wankhede

The official faces probe over allegations of demanding bribe in Aryan Khan case

Sameer Wankhede, who is probing the Aryan Khan drugs case, is being investigated by the NCB over the allegations of him demanding bribe.

Controversial zonal director of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Sameer Wankhede, who is probing the Aryan Khan drugs case, is being investigated by the agency over the allegations of him demanding bribe and he has recorded his statement, said a senior NCB official on Wednesday.

“A five-member special team has reached Mumbai from Delhi to probe the allegations levelled in the affidavit. We have collected the papers and records from the Mumbai office and witnesses will be called. This is a sensitive investigation,” said Gyaneshwar Singh, Deputy Director General of the NCB.

Mr. Singh told journalists that the team had recorded the statement of Mr. Wankhede for over four and half hours.

“We also want to record the statement of Prabhakar Sail and K.P. Gosavi, independent witnesses in this case. The probe is being conducted on the basis of the affidavit filed by Sail. But we have not been able to serve notice on them as of yet. We request them through media that they appear for the probe on Thursday or Friday,” he said.

Fresh charge

Earlier in the day, continuing with his series of revelations over the alleged fake caste certificate submitted by Mr. Wankhede to get a government job, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and Maharashtra Minister Nawab Malik released the ‘nikahnama’ of Mr. Wankhede’s first marriage with Shabana Qureishi. The document mentioned Mr. Wankhede’s father as Dawood Wankhede.

Qazi Muzammil Ahmed, who conducted the wedding, told the media that all those involved in the marriage were Muslims. “Each and everyone, including Sameer and his family, were Muslims. If he wasn’t a Muslim, the nikah would not have happened,” he said.

The family of the officer too accepted that the nikahnama is authentic. “But he married Dr. Shabana under the Special Marriage Act. This nikahnama was to fulfil the wish of his Muslim mother who wanted to see him get married as per the Islamic traditions as well,” said Mr. Wankhede’s father, who said his name was Dyandev and not Dawood as claimed in the nikahnama.

“His [Sameer’s] late mother used to lovingly call me Dawood. But I don’t know how this name appeared on the nikahnama. I have not converted to Islam,” he claimed.

Mr. Malik has alleged that the officer fraudulently used the caste certificate despite being a Muslim to get the government job as an IRS officer. “He has deprived an eligible Dalit student by doing this fraud,” the Minister said.