Aryan Khan case investigation: Sameer Wankhede not removed, will 'assist'
What's the story
Sameer Wankhede, the Zonal Unit director of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Mumbai, has not been "removed" from the high-profile Aryan Khan drug bust case, clarified the agency.
He will "continue to assist" in the investigation, which will now be headed by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by Sanjay Kumar Singh, the Deputy Director General (Operations) of the NCB.
Here's more.
Details
'NCB functions across India as a single integrated agency'
Responding to a tweet by ANI, NCB issued a statement saying, "They will continue to assist the operations branch investigation as required until any specific orders are issued to the contrary. It is reiterated that the NCB functions across India as a single integrated agency."
Meanwhile, right after the news of Wankhede's removal from the case surfaced, the officer too issued a clarification.
Information
It's a coordination between NCB teams of Delhi, Mumbai: Wankhede
"I have not been removed from investigation. It was my writ petition in court that the matter be probed by a central agency. So the Aryan (Khan) case and Sameer Khan case are being probed by the Delhi NCB's special investigation team. It's a coordination between NCB teams of Delhi and Mumbai," Wankhede said.
Khan is NCP leader and Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik's son-in-law.
Background
Ever since Aryan's arrest, Wankhede faced a lot of attack
Along with Aryan's case, five other cases that were handled by the Mumbai NCB branch, including the Armaan Kohli case and the one involving Khan (who is out on bail), were also transferred to the SIT.
To recall, Wankhede was at the center of a tasteless political storm ever since Aryan and others were arrested in the Cordelia Cruises drug bust case last month.
Reaction
Malik reacts, says he had 'demanded an SIT probe'
And leading that attack against Wankhede was Malik, who had accused the former of framing innocent people by "foisting fake cases."
After the transfer, the politician tweeted that it was he who had "demanded an SIT probe to investigate Sameer Dawood Wankhede for kidnapping of & ransom demand from Aryan Khan."
"Let us see who brings out the skeletons from the closet of Wankhede."
Twitter Post
Check out Malik's tweet on this issue
I had demanded an S.I.T probe to investigate Sameer Dawood Wankhede for kidnapping of ransom demand from Aryan Khan.
— Nawab Malik نواب ملک नवाब मलिक (@nawabmalikncp) November 6, 2021
Now 2 S.I.Ts are constituted (state centre), let us see who brings out the skeletons from the closet of Wankhede and exposes him and his nefarious private army