Mumbai: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has claimed that the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) initially detained 11 persons when it allegedly busted a rave party on a cruise liner last week, but let off three persons who have connections with a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader.
NCP Mumbai President Nawab Malik, also a minister in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra, Saturday said one of the three persons who were allowed to leave is the brother-in-law of BJP leader Mohit Bharatiya, who was earlier known as Mohit Kambhoj.
Addressing a press conference in Mumbai, Malik asked the NCB to explain why the three were allowed to go and who gave the orders.
“The three persons who were allowed to leave within two hours of being detained are Rishabh Sachdev, Prateek Gaba and Aamir Furniturewala. Rishabh Sachdev is the brother-in-law of former Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (Mumbai) president Mohit Kambhoj. In a video that we have exclusively obtained, Sachdev’s father and uncle can be seen walking out of the NCB office with him and the two others,” Malik said.
At the press conference, Malik played the video of the three persons leaving the NCB office with two more, said to be Sachdev’s father and uncle. He also showed images of Sachdev posing with Bharatiya and former Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.
“The three were part of just 11 persons who the NCB detained out of 1,300 people on the cruise liner. The NCB must explain why the three were detained, and why the three of them were allowed to go. The NCB must explain how Sachdev’s father and uncle landed at the NCB office and who directed the three of them to leave,” Malik said, adding that the NCB did not even seize the mobile phones of the three of them.
Also read: ‘Witness’ in NCB raid, man seen escorting Aryan Khan is ‘absconder’ in Pune cheating probe
The arrest
The NCB last Saturday raided a Goa-bound cruise liner and later said it has detained eight persons, including actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan.
The NCP had earlier this week raised the issue of two private persons — BJP worker Manish Bhanushali and one K.P. Gosavi — being present with the NCB at the time of the raid and escorting Aryan Khan and his friend Arbaaz Merchant to the BJP office. The NCB said the two persons were among its witnesses in the case.
Malik reiterated the NCP’s claim that the entire drug bust was fake and was orchestrated to defame the Maharashtra government and the Mumbai film industry.
“Mumbai Police must seek CDRs of the detainees, Sameer Wankhede,” Malik said.
Gaba and Furniturewala’s names have also cropped up in court proceedings as having invited Khan to the party.
“They were from the same friend circle. If Gaba and Furniturewala brought Aryan Khan to the party, how can Khan be detained and the two of them be allowed to go?” Malik questioned.
The NCP leader said the Mumbai Police should get involved and examine the call data records of Sachdev, Gaba and Furniturewala as well as NCB Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede.
“It will then be clear who the three of them contacted, and who Wankhede spoke to that eventually led to the three persons being allowed to leave,” Malik said.
ThePrint reached Bharatiya for a comment but his phone was unreachable.
ThePrint also reached NCB’s Wankhede but he did not respond to calls till the time of publishing this report.
BJP says ready for probe
BJP MLA Atul Bhatkalkar, meanwhile, told ThePrint, that Malik is giving the incident a political colour to save himself.
“Nawab Malik is giving a democratic process a political form to save his own skin. None of what he said has been brought up by the accused or their lawyers. If he has any information, the Mumbai Police’s Anti Narcotics Cell should inquire,” Bhatkalkar said.
“Nawab Malik is not the state home minister. Why is State Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil not talking about this at all? Where as the BJP is concerned, we are ready for any inquiry.”
Also read: Incriminating WhatsApp chats show Aryan Khan, others involved in purchase of drugs, NCB says
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