Incidentally the feud centers around two Sameer.
Summary
Senior NCP Leader Nawab Malik Is constantly targeting the Zonal Director of Narcotics Control Bureau Sameer Wankhede, who is leading the investigation against Aryan Khan and others after a cruise raid that led to the seizure of drugs.
Since Aryan’s arrest, Malik has questioned NCB’s every move, made bitter remarks against Wankhede and even dragged his family members into the matter. Wankhede, on his part, has defended Malik at every step and accused him of trying to settle personal accounts through the case.
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son-in-law angle
Wankhede claims that Malik is personally targeting him, whom he called “a well-known political figure”.
He said the only reason he could fathom was that the NCB had arrested “this man’s son-in-law Sameer Khan” (in a separate drugs case in which he is out on bail).
Notably, Malik’s offensive against the Wankhede began only after his son-in-law Samir Khan was released on bail.
The minister had claimed that NCB officials had leveled false allegations against Sameer Khan and no banned drug was found from him.
Malik, who is also the spokesperson of the NCP, has also recently claimed that his government will soon put Wankhede behind bars.
Sameer Khan was arrested by the NCB on January 13 this year for possession of drugs. Aryan Khan was granted bail by a special court late last month, just days before he was arrested in a separate drugs case.
The NCB had charged Sameer Khan and five others with dealing in commercial quantities of narcotic drugs, an offense that carries a maximum sentence of 20 years.
attack and counter
Malik’s attack against NCB and Wankhede began when the agency arrested Aryan Khan after a cruise raid in Mumbai.
Soon after the episode, Malik questioned the involvement of some “non-NCB officials” in the drug busts, saying that BJP leader Manish Bhanushali and “private detective” Kiran P Gosavi were seen dragging the accused.
He later called the entire operation “fake” and said that no drugs were found on the ship.
Then, he said that the NCB released the brother-in-law of a BJP leader after the raid, a claim refuted by the saffron party.
The attacks became progressively more personal, with Malik directly targeting the Wankhede.
Here are some of them …
‘NCB witness Wankhede’s family friend’
Nationalist Congress Party spokesperson and Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik on Saturday asked why NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede used a “family friend” as an independent witness in three probes.
He sought to know the link between Wankhede and one of the ‘panches’ or independent witnesses used by the anti-drug agency.
The NCP leader alleged, “The independent witnesses present at the crime scene should not have any prior links with the investigating agency. But this particular witness was earlier also seen in photographs with family members of Wankhede.
‘Forged birth certificate; His middle name is Dawood.
Malik claimed that Wankhede was a Muslim by birth and had forged his birth certificate to hide his identity.
Tweeting a picture of the purported certificate, Malik said, “Sameer Dawood Wankhede ka yaha se kar liye furjiwada. (The forgery of Sameer Dawood Wankhede’s documents started from here).’
The NCP leader also alleged that by hiding his religion, he (Wankhede) obtained fake documents and through this the rights of a backward class candidate were taken away.
‘Wankhede a fake officer’
Later, Malik termed Wankhede as “fake” and said that once the “evidence” against him is out, he cannot continue in government service for a day.
He said, “We have all the proof that how fake he (Wankhede) is. His father was fake, he himself is fake and his family members are fake. After he was proved fake, he did not serve for a day. I can’t stay and he is going to jail.” It has been confirmed and we will bring out all the evidence.”
‘Was brought after Sushant’s death’
Malik also claimed that the IRS officer was specially brought to the agency by the central government after the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput last year.
Malik also alleged that Rajput’s girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty was implicated in a “fake case” by the NCB.
‘Special 26’
In his latest attack, Malik accused Wankhede of illegal phone tapping and announced that he would hand over a letter to the agency chief on the officer’s ‘misdoings’.
Here are the contents of the letter I received from an unnamed NCB officer. As a responsible citizen I… https://t.co/gjnnZhoSZN
— Nawab Malik Nawab Malik Nawab Updates (@nawabmalikncp) 1635221973000
Malik, who targeted Wankhede after his son-in-law’s arrest, said, “Sameer Wankhede is illegally intercepting mobile phones of some people through two people in Mumbai and Thane.”
Malik also claimed that Wankhede had sought the call detail record (CDR) of his family member from the police.
He also said that he would release “Special 26” soon, apparently pointing to another revelation about NCB.
Wankhede counterattack
The NCB official rejected all the allegations leveled against him by Malik saying he was hurt by the nature of personal defamatory and reprehensible attacks by the minister without any justification.
Wankhede told a special court in Mumbai on Monday that he and his family have been targeted.
“My family including my sister and dead mother are being targeted,” the regional director of NCB told the court.
Sameer Wankhede also denied allegations of forged documents including Malik’s birth certificate. He said that his father’s name is Gyandev, who was an excise officer.
“My wife died six years ago. She once prepared an affidavit in which it was mentioned that my name is Gyandev Wankhede. I also have a valid caste certificate. And not just me, my Relatives also have similar documents to establish this,” claimed the Wankhede senior.
Wankhede’s father also clarified that his name is Gyandev and not Dawood as claimed by Malik and slammed the NCP leader for playing “low-level” politics.
Talking to a regional news channel, Wankhede senior said, “It is absolutely false that my name is Dawood Wankhede. I think Malik has some malicious intent behind issuing that birth certificate of Sameer Wankhede and defaming us. My name is Gyandev Wankhede since my birth and it is the same even today.”
Me and my husband are Hindu born in Sameer. We have never converted to any other religion. We respect all religions. Sameer Ka Ch… https://t.co/HCt1J8MZzo
— Kranti Redkar Wankhede (@kranti redkar) 1635153648000
Wankhede’s wife Kranti Redkar also countered the claims, saying she and her husband were Hindu born and never converted to any other religion.
He said that Sameer Wankhede’s deceased mother was a Muslim and his father is a Hindu.
(with inputs from agencies)
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