CBI FIR on Sameer Wankhede: NCP, Shiv Sena (UBT) say Nawab Malik 'vindicated'

Mumbai: Hours after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) lodged an FIR and raided the premises of former Mumbai Zonal Director of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Sameer Wankhade, the Nationalist Congress Party and Shiv Sena (UBT) said on Friday that former Maha Vikas Aghadi minister Nawab Malik`s stand has been vindicated.

NCP national spokesperson Clyde Crasto posted a photo of Malik, currently in jail in an alleged financial misappropriation case with just a simple 'Satyameva Jayate' caption.

The party's chief spokesperson Mahesh Tapase said that the CBI has filed a corruption case against Wankhede, who was first exposed as a "corrupt officer" by Malik in 2021-2022.

"At that time, Malik had clearly said that Wankhede and his accomplices were indulging in illegal business of conducting high-profile raids and extorting crores of rupees from their victims," said Tapase.

He said that people have not forgotten how the signatures of witnesses were taken on blank papers in the case pertaining to the raid on a cruise ship, Cordelia, and later the death of one of the witnesses, Prabhakar Sail, in April 2022.

Shiv Sena (UBT) national spokesperson Kishore Tiwari said that when he had filed his plea before then Supreme Court Chief Justice N.V. Ramanna, he had prominently raised the question of massive corruption in the NCB.

"I had demanded a probe by a sitting judge of the apex court as the NCB and its officials pursued `vendetta` by targeting select celebrities, since Wankhede`s wife was trying to make it big in Bollywood and hence the hounding of leading names in film industry, their families, top national-international models, producers-directors, etc., who were in direct competition to her," said Tiwari.

In the sensational 2021 raid aboard the ship anchored off Mumbai harbour, around 20 persons were arrested, including Aryan Khan, the son of Bollywood icon Shah Rukh Khan.

After spending 25 days in Arthur Road jail, Aryan finally got bail and later in May 2022, the NCB admitted that there was no evidence against him and the star-son`s name was dropped from the charge sheet.

Tapase said that all the points raised by Malik ? who is in jail since February 2022 - have been proved true now.

In a sudden twist in the entire matter, the CBI has booked Wankhede - now posted in Chennai - and four of his associates on alleged corruption charges, and raided some 29 locations in multiple states, including Maharashtra.