A Division Bench of the Bombay High Court on October 28 disposed of the plea of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede, after the Maharashtra government’s lawyer assured the HC that the Mumbai Police will give a three-day’s notice to the official before his arrest.
NCB’s Sameer Wankhede had moved the Bombay HC on October 28 seeking protection from arrest in view of the four cases that have been filed against him after Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik accused him of extortion.
In court, Wankhede questioned the inquiry started against him by the Maharashtra government following the allegations levelled against him by the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader. He also demands a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or any central agency in the matter and stated his “apprehensions that Mumbai Police may arrest him”.
Also read: Aryan Khan case | NCB witness claims Rs 18 crore settlement: Report
However, the Maharashtra government informed the HC that an ACP level officer is heading the inquiry which has just begun. No FIR has been registered yet against NCB’s Sameer Wankhede, “so the application is at premature stage”.
“As the petition is in respect to Prevention of Corruption Act, we will give prior notice of 72 hours if we will register an offense under the Act,” the state government’s lawyer said.
Also read: What is NCB, its mission, how does it fight drug trafficking?
The Mumbai Police has begun probing extortion charges against Sameer Wankhede based on the statement of one Prabhakar Sail, who is a witness in the Mumbai cruise drug bust case involving the arrest of Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan.
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
