What happened on day Aryan Khan was detained?

A 40-year-old Andheri resident, Prabhakar Sail, who claims to be the personal bodyguard of NCB panch witness KP Gosavi - currently absconding in a cheating case - has narrated the happenings of October 2, the day Aryan Khan was detained by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). He also talked about October 3 in his video and an affidavit that he has notarised, claiming he had overheard talk that NCB Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede was to be ‘given' Rs 8-crore.

SAIL now fears for his life. Wankhede said he has no idea who met whom, and Aryan was arrested after a raid, so there is no question of taking money from anyone. "I absolutely deny all allegations," Wankhede told mid-day. Sail said he was employed by Gosavi on July 22 as his personal bodyguard. In his affidavit and video message he said, on October 2, Gosavi sent him a location on WhatsApp and asked him to go there. When he reached CSMT at 8.45 pm, he saw the location was the NCB office. There are a lot of discrepancies in the timeline in the affidavit. It was not clarified by Sail whether they are typos or he was confused about the timeline. mid-day tried to speak to him but his phone was switched off.

Aryan Khan being taken to Arthur Road jail from the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) office. File pic

The affidavit said, "Gosavi's driver told me he was with NCB officials in their office. At 10:00 pm Gosavi called the driver and came down with an NCB officer. Gosavi and the officer left in his (Gosavi's) Innova and he instructed me to wait there. At 12:00 pm Gosavi told me to go to the green gate and wait. At about 1:23 pm Gosavi sent some photographs on my WhatsApp and told me to keep a watch and identify the people in them. I was to inform him if any of the persons would board the cruise liner through the green gate. Accordingly I identified one person and informed him that he has boarded bus number 2700. At 4:23 he replied saying the person whom I had identified was caught and 13 people were arrested. At about 10:30 pm Gosavi called me to the boarding area. I saw Munmun Dhamecha and few others with NCB officials."

‘Signed on blank papers'

He further added in his affidavit, "At about 12:30 pm, Gosavi, accompanied by NCB officials, took Aryan Khan in his white Innova to the NCB office. I reached the NCB office at around 1 am. I received a call from Gosavi instructing me to sign as pancha at the NCB office. Sameer Wankhede instructed the staff to take my signatures and one Salekar from NCB told me to sign on 10 blank papers. Salekar also asked for my Aadhar details."

Sail claims Shah Rukh Khan's manager Pooja Dadlani (in T-shirt) met Gosavi and Sam who was with him, before Aryan Khan's arrest. File pic/Suresh Karkera

The affidavit further says about the happenings of October 3, "After sometime Gosavi came and met Sam about 500 metres from the NCB office. They spoke for 5 minutes and again after going around the NCB office, Sam and Gosavi met. After that Gosavi and I left in the white Innova and Sam followed us in his Innova. We all stopped at Lower Parel Bridge near Big Bazaar. Till we reached Lower Parel, Gosavi was talking to Sam on the phone and said ‘you put a bomb of R25 crore and lets settle at 18 final because we have to give R8-cr to Sameer Wankhede'." Aryan Khan was arrested on October 3.

Sail's affidavit further stated that Shah Rukh Khan's manager Pooja Dadlani then arrived in a blue Mercedes at the spot. It said, "Sam, Gosavi and Pooja Dadlani sat in the Mercedes and talked. Then we all left. After 15 minutes Gosavi and I reached Mantralaya. Gosavi spoke to someone and left for Vashi. He told me to take the Innova and go to Indiana hotel and collect R50 lakh cash. I reached around 9:45 am and two people who came in a white car gave me two bags filled with cash. I took them to Vashi and gave them to Kiran Gosavi. I saw he was packing his bags. In the evening Gosavi called me and told me to come near Vashi Bridge. But he changed location to Inorbit Mall where he came and gave me some cash and told me to give it to Sam. Sam met me near Trident hotel where I gave him the cash. When he counted the cash it was only Rs 38 lakh. I left from there for Vashi."

"KP Gosavi is missing now and I fear that NCB officials and other persons involved may kill or abduct me. As seen in big cases, witnesses are often killed or disappear and I therefore want to state the truth," Sail added at the end of his affidavit. Messages sent to Dadlani remained unanswered. Sail has also given another video which he claimed to have recorded while he was sent into the NCB office by Gosavi as a panch witness and was asked to sign on plain papers. In the video Gosavi can be seen sitting next to Aryan and making him speak to somebody on phone. The same video also shared by Shiv Sena member of parliament Sanjay Raut demanding action and urging Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil to take cognisance of the same. Cabinet Minister Nawab Malik also spoke to press and said, "I have been saying that this extortion racket is being run by officers which is damaging the image of NCB, there should be a SIT probe against Wankhede."

‘Only heard ‘Sam''

Sail in his affidavit, has mentioned the full name of Sam D'Souza but in his interviews to the press he said he was not aware of his full name and only heard his first name as Sam. mid-day called Sam on the number mentioned in the affidavit, but the phone was switched off. mid-day also reached out to Salekar whose name is mentioned in the rotarised affidavit as an NCB officer. He answered but didn't identify if he was an NCB officer. He listened to the allegations levelled in the affidavit and hung up.

NCB statement

"Our zonal director, Mumbai Zonal Unit, Mr Sameer Wankhede has categorically denied these allegations. As some of the contents of the affidavit relate to vigilance matters, I am hereby by forwarding the affidavit to Director General Narcotics Control Bureau and requesting him for further necessary action," said Mutha Ashok Jain, DDG, NCB in his statement.

Wankhede complains to Mumbai police commissioner

Sameer Wankhede. File pic

NCB's Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede has written to Mumbai Police Commissioner Hemant Nagrale stating, "it has come to my notice that some precipitate legal action for framing me falsely is being planned by unknown person in relation to the alleged vigilance related to issue in NCB Cr. No 94/2021. DDG Mutha Ashok Jain has already written to NCB DG for necessary action. It is brought to your notice that threat of jail and have been issued against undersigned on public functionaries." He requested the Mumbai Police Commissioner to ensure that no such precipitate legal action is carried out to frame the undersigned falsely with ulterior motives. No 94/2021 is the cruise drug case.

Oct 2
When Aryan Khan was caught after the raid on the cruise liner

8
Day in October since when KP Gosavi is missing