‘NCB let off 3 individuals including BJP leader’s kin after cruise ship raid’: NCP’s Nawab Malik

Malik alleged that a total of 11 individuals were detained from the raid conducted at the cruise ship but three were let off

Three days after claiming that Aryan Khan, son of Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, and Arbaaz Merchant were brought to the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) office by private individuals with one of them being a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office-bearer, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief spokesperson Nawab Malik on Saturday alleged that the NCB let off three individuals after detaining them from the cruise party.

NCP chief spokesperson Nawab Malik. (File Photo)

“The day raid was conducted, NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede said 8 to 10 people were detained but the fact is a total of 11 people were detained by the NCB that night. They were brought to the NCB office but later three of them were released. They are Rishabh Sachdeva, Pratik Gaba and Amir Furniturewala. Sachdeva is the brother-in-law of Mohit Bhartiya alias Mohit Kamboj. He was allowed to go after his father and uncle reached the NCB office,” Malik told reporters at NCP headquarters at Ballard Pier in south Mumbai.

He said that a total of 11 individuals were detained from the raid conducted at the cruise ship and brought them to its office but let off three of them. Of them, one was Rishabh Sachdeva, the brother-in law-of Mohit Bhartiya, a former Yuva Morcha chief of BJP, Malik alleged. The other two are Amir Furniturewala and Pratik Gaba - the ones who invited Aryan Khan to the party, Malik told reporters and demanded an explanation from the NCB for allowing them to go.

He alleged that Sachdeva was allowed to go after BJP leaders from Delhi and Mumbai intervened. He will now write to chief minister Uddhav Thackeray to conduct a probe in the matter.

Malik also released video clips in which Sachdeva can be seen being brought to the NCB office and later leaving it along with his father and uncle.

“Who ordered them to be released? Our information is that BJP leaders, right from Delhi and Mumbai, intervened after which Sachdeva, Furniturewala and Gaba were released by the NCB. If nothing was found from then why only these 11 were detained among 1100 present at the cruise? We demand Sameer Wankhede clarify this. The entire probe is going ahead based on WhatsApp chats as nothing was found in Aryan Khan’s possession. Did the NCB take the mobile phones of these three and check them?” the NCP leader said.

“It was a pre-planned conspiracy. Those who invited Aryan Khan to the party at the cruise ship, Pratik Gaba and Amir Furniturewala, were detained and later allowed to go. Satish Maneshinde too has said in the court that Aryan went to the party as he was invited by Gaba and Furniturewala,” Malik said in reply to a question.

Malik earlier alleged that the two people —Manish Bhanushali and KP Gosavi — who brought Aryan Khan and Arbaaz Merchant to the party were private individuals. Of them, Bhanushali is a BJP office-bearer and Gosavi is a serial offender and also an absconder in a cheating case in Pune. NCB officials could not answer the questions as to how the private individuals were allowed to handle high profile accused.

Terming it a conspiracy, the NCP leader demanded a free and fair probe in the matter. “I will write to the chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and demand that things are very serious and need to be looked into. If required, call an inquiry and let the real facts come out before the people,” Malik said.

BJP leader Pravin Darekar told the media that the concerned authorities will probe the allegations. As of now, they are allegations by Malik. Let it be probed by the authorities,” he added.

Meanwhile, responding to the allegations, Pravin Darekar, leader of opposition in the legislative council, said that they are only allegations and videos and pictures can be morphed. He also alleged that Malik is making allegations to save the accused. “These are just allegations. As far as pictures and videos are concerned, they can be morphed. BJP cannot be held responsible even if Mohit Kamboj’s brother-in-law was involved. With the same criteria, we can hold NCP and Nawab Malik responsible for the arrest of his son in law (Sameer Khan) by the NCB in a drug abuse case,” Darekar said.

“He is trying to create sensation by making allegations every day to save the accused. The action was necessary as drugs can spoil the entire generation,” he added.

He further said the MVA government can conduct a probe with the Mumbai police and its anti-narcotics cell by obtaining call detail records (CDR) and probe the matter for their own satisfaction.