NDPS court grants bail to Nawab Malik’s son-in-law, two others in drug cases

A special Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) court on Monday granted bail to Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Nawab Malik’s son-in-law Sameer Shabbir Khan, British national Karan Sejnani and celebrity manager Rahila Furniturewala, all of whom were arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in drug cases.

A special Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) court on Monday granted bail to Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Nawab Malik’s son-in-law Sameer Shabbir Khan, British national Karan Sejnani and celebrity manager Rahila Furniturewala, all of whom were arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in drugs cases.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Nawab Malik’s son-in-law Sameer Shabbir Khan was granted bail by court in drug case. (HT Photo)

Additional sessions judge AA Joglekar granted them bail. The three were arrested in January 2021.

Advocate Taraq Sayyed who appeared for the accused had argued the substances seized from Khan were only tobacco and herbal products and not covered under the NDPS Act. He had further stated that there is nothing to show that he had financed illicit trafficking of drugs to be charged under the provisions of the NDPS Act.

Public prosecutor for NCB, Atul Sarpande had argued that around 200kg marijuana was seized from Sejnani’s residence in Khar in January. The material was sent to a forensic laboratory in Gujarat, of which 83kg had tested positive for narcotic drugs and psychedelic substances.

Sejnani, in his statement to the agency, alleged that he had supplied marijuana to city’s famous paan vendor Muchhad Paanwala alias Ram Kumar Tiwari. The agency then conducted searches at Tiwari’s shop and warehouse in Kemps Corner in south Mumbai and recovered curated marijuana.

During further probe, the agency found Sejnani’s connection with Khan and he was summoned for inquiry on January 13. After questioning for almost 10 hours, NCB arrested Khan in the case for allegedly financing the racket.

The case was registered after actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death.