In yet another twist to the Cordelia Cruiser raid, a BJP leader Mohit Kamboj on Saturday, 6 November, claimed that Sunil Patil, who is linked with Nationalist Congress Party leaders, is the alleged "mastermind" of the case in which Aryan Khan, son of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, was arrested.
Kamboj, in a press conference on Saturday, alleged that Patil, along with other NCP leaders, had prior knowledge of the cruise party. He also claims that Kiran Gosavi, who’s selfie with Aryan Khan had gone viral, had taken Rs 50 lakh from Shah Rukh Khan’s manager Pooja Dadlani to get his son arrested and has links with Patil, reported NDTV.
"Sunil Patil sent a WhatsApp message to Sam D'Souza on 1 October and told him that he had leads on 27 people who were going to consume illegal drugs at a cruise party, and asked Mr Patil to get him in touch with someone from the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). D'Souza then spoke to officer VV Singh from the anti-drugs agency and informed him about the sale and consumption of drugs in the cruise party."Mohit Kamboj, as per NDTV
Elaborating further, Kamboj claimed that Patil is also linked with the others whose names have cropped up in recent weeks like Sam D'Souza, Prabhakar Sail and Manish Bhanushali and "they work as a syndicate".
‘Sunil Patil Close to Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil, Anil Deshmukh’: Kamboj
In the press conference, Kamboj also shared a purported audio call of Patil, where he allegedly states that he is close to current Home Minister Dilip-Walse Patil and has known him for 23 years, reported NDTV.
Kamboj has also demanded that NCP clarify its relations with Sunil Patil along with other drug peddlers.
"They are all (Gosavi, D'Souza, Bhanushali) Patil's associates. I have been sent audio-video clips and WhatsApp messages of theirs from someone and I have forwarded them to the probe agencies," said Kamboj.
Kamboj further specifically targeted NCP leader Nawab Malik, demanding an explanation on his links with Patil.
‘An Attempt to Misguide and Divert Attention From the Truth’: Nawab Malik
Responding to Kamboj’s allegations, NCP national spokesperson and Maharashtra Minister Nawab Malik termed the claims as an unsuccessful attempt "by a member of Wankhede's private army to misguide and divert attention from the truth," reported ANI, quoting Malik.
However, in a another twist, on Sunday, Malik in a press conference alleged that Kamboj is the “mastermind” behind the case and has links with Sameer Wankhede, the zonal chief of Narcotics Crime Bureau and the officer in charge of the cruise ship drug raid.
“Aryan Khan didn't purchase the ticket for the cruise party. It was Pratik Gaba and Aamir Furniturewala who brought him there. It's a matter of kidnapping & ransom. Mohit Kamboj is the mastermind & partner of Sameer Wankhede in demanding ransom,” reported ANI, quoting Malik in the press conference.
“Mohit Kamboj and Sameer Wankhede met outside Oshiwara graveyard on 7 October. After which, Wankhede panicked and complained to the police that they were being chased. They were lucky that the nearby CCTV was not working and we couldn't get the feed,” he added.
Nawab Malik has previously accused Wankhede of using forged documents to get a government job under the Scheduled Caste (SC) category. He also claimed that the senior NCB officer was a Muslim. All allegations have been refuted by Wankhede.
Malik has also demanded a SIT probe to investigate allegations against Wankhede for seeking a Rs 8 crore pay off in the Aryan Khan case.
The allegations came to light after Prabhakar Sail – an NCB witness in the Aryan case – claimed in an affidavit that he overheard a conversation between KP Gosavi, Shah Rukh Khan's manager Pooja Dadlani in which a Rs 18 crore deal was allegedly discussed.
Wankhede’s Father Files Defamation Suit Against Malik
According to a LiveLaw report, Wankhede’s father has filed a defamation suit against Malik in the Bombay High Court and is seeking Rs 1.25 crore in damages.
A report by India Today states that Wankhede’s father has sought a permanent injunction against Malik from publishing, writing or speaking in the media against his family.
(With inputs from NDTV, IANS, India Today, Hindustan Times)
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