MUMBAI: The special investigation team (SIT) probing allegations of extortion in the cruise drug bust case has found CCTV footage of Shah Rukh Khan’s manager Pooja Dadlani’s blue Mercedes at Lower Parel where money is suspected to have exchanged hands to prevent the arrest of the actor’s son Aryan.
The SIT is also likely to register a case of impersonation and extortion against Kiran Gosavi, a witness in the cruise drug seizure case, who is believed to have promised Dadlani help. If registered, it will be the third case against Gosavi—he has been booked by Pune and Amboli police previously. Gosavi, a self styled detective, was arrested by Pune police last month and is in their custody till November 5.
The extortion demand came out in an affidavit filed by another witness in the cruise drug bust case, Prabhakar Sail, who is bodyguard to Gosavi.
Sail had mentioned that Gosavi, Dadlani and Sam D’Souza, who claimed to be a businessman, met early October 3 at Lower Parel, hours after Aryan was picked up during the NCB raid on the cruise ship. Sail then dropped Gosavi to his Vashi residence. Gosavi later asked Sail to pick up money from outside a hotel in Tardeo. A person arrived in a car and gave Sail two bags, which he took to D’Souza at Trident Hotel. D’Souza counted the money and said it was only Rs 38 lakh, the affidavit stated. Sail claimed to have overheard a co-nversation where Gosavi and others discussed demanding Rs 25 crore, of which Rs 8 crore was to be paid to NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede. D’Souza, in a television interview on Tuesday, claimed that Rs 50 lakh was collected from Dadlani, but was later returned after he realised that Gosavi was a cheat.
Sources said that after scanning footage from 10-15 CCTV cameras in the vicinity, they found a blue Mercedes and two Innova SUVs —one belonging to Gosavi and the other owned by D’Souza—at Lower Parel near Big Bazaar. The images show a woman getting off the blue Mercedes, chatting with Gosavi and then both returning to her car. After a while, everyone left in their own vehicles. “The CCTV footage only establishes a meeting between Gosavi, Dadlani, D’Souza and Sail at the spot. What happened between them we don’t know. We are calling D’Souza, but he has not turned up yet,” said a senior police officer, on condition of anonymity.
Another officer said that they are in the process of registering an FIR against Gosavi for impersonation as his SUV has ‘Police’ written on it. It will also be examined if he claimed to be an NCB official, he added.
The police are likely to record the statements of Dadlani and Aryan in this case. D’Souza, in his TV interview, said that Aryan told Gosavi to contact Dadlani and he is believed to have sent this voice note to her to reaffirm that he has access to the NCB office and was bargaining on behalf of an NCB official.
D’Souza also said that Gosavi told him that he was under pressure from man whose number was saved as ‘SW’ [Sameer Wankhede] on his phone. But, through the Truecaller app, D’Souza found out that it was Sail’s number.
