Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and Maharashtra Minister Nawab Malik on Tuesday reiterated his allegations against Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officer Sameer Wankhede of extorting money from Bollywood actors. He further questioned Mr. Wankhede’s choice of “high-end” clothing, shoes and watches, and questioned how an “honest” officer could afford such a lifestyle.
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Mr. Malik also released WhatsApp chats between Mr. Wankhede’s sister, Jasmeen Wankhede, and an alleged drug-peddler, which the officer had claimed was an attempt by drug cartels to “trap him”.
“He [Mr. Wankhede] can be seen wearing shoes worth ₹2 lakh, shirts that cost over ₹50,000 and watches that cost more than ₹20 lakh. How can an honest and upright officer afford such expensive clothes? He has extorted crores by framing the wrong people. If this is the lifestyle of an honest officer, we wish the same for the whole country,” Mr. Malik said.
The NCP leader demanded to know the status of a case where actors Sara Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone and Shraddha Kapoor were probed. “Why is it that no charge sheet has been filed in the case even after a year? I repeat my allegations that Mr. Wankhede is running a private army to extort money from Bollywood,” he said.
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The Minister also released the chats between Ms. Wankhede and an alleged drug-peddler, where she had shared her visiting card details and location. “Why is she communicating with a person arrested in a drug case?” Mr. Malik asked.
He also slammed BJP leader and former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for claiming that drugs were seized from his son-in-law. He asked if Mr. Fadnavis would apologise if a panchanama (witness records) of the NCB showed that no drugs were seized from him.
Meanwhile, replying to the allegations, Mr. Wankhede said claims about the expensive clothes were nothing but rumours. When asked about the WhatsApp chats between his sister and a peddler, the officer said, “A drug-peddler, Salman, approached my sister. But she does not take NDPS cases, so she sent him back. Salman tried to trap us via a middleman. He was arrested and is in jail. The allegations against us are false.”
