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NCB examines ‘important witnesses’, reconstructs events in drugs-on-cruise case
The case was transferred last week from the NCB Mumbai branch to its Delhi team after serious allegations were levelled against Sameer Wankhede, the NCB Mumbai zonal director.
Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has recorded statements of about 15 people, including prime witness Prabhakar Sail, in the drugs-on-cruise case, the deputy director-general of the anti-drugs agency said on Friday. The case was transferred last week from the NCB Mumbai branch to its Delhi team after serious allegations were levelled against Sameer Wankhede, the NCB Mumbai zonal director.
NCB DDG Gyaneshwar Singh said that the agency has included seven witnesses in its investigation and has also collected some electronic and documentary evidence after arriving in Mumbai. The Delhi NCB team visited the Cordelia cruise and attempted to reconstruct the events that led to the raid on the Goa-bound ship, followed by multiple arrests, Singh added.
“We had paid a courtesy visit to Mumbai Police Commissioner in connection with the probe. He has assured our team that they will give full cooperation and they will also cooperate with NCB in making the country drug-free,” news agency ANI quoted Singh as saying.
The probe has taken many twists and turns after questions were raised over the credibility of a witness, Kiran Gosavi, who is currently jailed in a cheating case. Another independent witness, Prabhakar Sail, who worked as a bodyguard for Gosavi, turned hostile and claimed to have overheard a conversation about an alleged payoff of ₹25 crore involving Sameer Wankhede in connection with the case.
Singh said that Sail has recorded his statement with the NCB and the agency has also “examined 1-2 important witnesses”, adding that the team is satisfied with the speed and the direction of the probe. He further stated that the NCB will examine Gosavi when he is sent to judicial custody as per the court’s order.
Singh stressed that the team is investigating the case on priority as it is an important and challenging probe. He said some important witnesses are yet to be included in the probe and the team will move towards a conclusion only after examining them.
(With agency inputs)
