Ajaz Khan: ‘What is happening to Wankhade, is all karma coming back’
In an exclusive chat, for the first time actor-reality show alum Ajaz Khan talks about his imprisonment and denies charges against him. Read the interview.
Former Bigg Boss 7 contestant Ajaz Khan was granted bail after 26 months and he walked out of the Arthur Jail on Friday. For the first time, Khan talks about his involvement in the drug case, as he walks out of prison. “NCB detained me at the airport without any warrant, my blood test was negative, I only had the sleeping pill with me,” Khan laments.
The actor was detained by the NCB at the Mumbai airport in connection with a drug case in 2021 and was subsequently arrested in March the same year. His name allegedly surfaced during the interrogation of drug peddler Shadab Batata. (Also read: Bigg Boss 7's Ajaz Khan granted bail, to walk out of jail on Friday after two years of imprisonment)
The actor however denies any involvement with the crime: “Chargesheet pe mere khilaf koi evidence hai hi nahi. They have arrested me in a concocted story.” Khan was arrested by Sameer Wankhade, former Mumbai NCB bureau zonal director, who is currently under scrutiny by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for multiple inspections, including the controversial raid on the Cordelia cruise ship in October 2021. “I begged in front of Sameer Wankhade. Today, what is happening to Wankhade, is all karma coming back. He is getting the exact treatment that he gave others,” Khan cheers.
Reflecting on his 26-month-long incarceration, the actor admits to have undergone a transformation: “I have survived! I can now live without an AC, the luxurious life, I have learned to survive in any condition.” However, he acknowledges the irreversible loss of the last two years. “Main kya kya jhela hoon (What I have suffered), I know. I lost the web series Inspector Avinash. I was even tested positive for Corona. My family was going through depression. My son is 11 now, he was nine when I left him. He goes to school and when I was behind the bars, he was going to a psychiatrist for therapy. I couldn’t meet him for six months initially because I couldn’t face him. I used to feel very lonely whenever it was Eid or my wife or son’s birthday. When I went inside, I broke down mentally, physically and emotionally,” he elaborates.
Khan was locked in Arthur Road Jail, the same where actor Sanjay Dutt was also imprisoned. The 47-year-old complains about the condition of jail: “Even prisoners have human rights in jail, but here we didn’t have that. This jail was extra crowded. We didn’t have good food, and there was no sleeping space for us. 800 capacity ke jail mein 3500 kaidi the. This is the most crowded jail in the whole world.”
Though he is out, Khan is “upset with the media”. “I don’t know where the media is headed,” he says, adding, “Media is not trying to find what’s actually happening, they are passing judgements even before the judges of the court.”
Currently out on bail, Khan has approached the Supreme Court seeking exoneration. He remains hopeful of receiving justice. “India mein justice hai but bohot late hai tab tak aadmi ki life kharab ho jaati hai. I know I will get justice, I want to clear my name for my family. They know I have not done anything,” he signs off.