NCB allowed BJP leader’s kin to leave ship amid raid: Malik

Malik alleged that soon after the raid – following which several people, including Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan, were arrested – NCB Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede had told mediapersons that 8 to 10 people had been detained in the raid. He asked why eventually only eight persons were detained and raised questions about the identity of the two others.

Earlier, Malik had alleged that while one person accompanying the NCB on the raid had a police case pending against him, another was a BJP member. While Kiran Gosavi, who claims to be a detective from Malaysia and is facing multiple criminal cases, was seen taking Aryan to the NCB office, Manish Bhanushali, a BJP leader, took co-accused Arbaaz Merchant to the central agency’s office following the raid.

The NCB had called Gosavi and Bhanushali independent witnesses and maintained that it was not aware about their background.

Following the NCB raid on Cordelia on Saturday, 17 people were arrested, including Aryan. While 10 of those arrested were on board the ship, seven others – three drug peddlers and four persons who organised the cruise party – were not on the ship.