Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik Saturday alleged that the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) had detained Rishabh Sachdev, brother-in-law of BJP leader Mohit Kambhoj (Bhartiya), but let him off within hours. He alleged that the NCB released Sachdev following calls from BJP leaders in Delhi and Maharashtra. Kambhoj is a former president of BJP’s Yuva Morcha in Mumbai.
Malik said NCB had detailed 11 persons during the raid on the cruise ship but it let off three, including Sachdev, Pratik Gaba and Amir Furniturewala.
“NCB director Samir Wankhede had given a vague statement about the detention of 8-10 persons during the raid. In all, 11 were detained on the cruise during the raid. Mumbai Police had the same information till morning but then the number came down to eight and three persons were let off,” said Malik while addressing the media.
The minister also showed videos to support his claim of the detention and release of the three persons.
“Sachdev was released after two hours and his father and uncle were with him. All three people were released at the same time. The names of Gaba and Furniturewala have been reflected in the arguments during the hearing in the court. Aryan Khan had gone there upon invitation from these three,” he added.
The NCP minister further said, “Our question to NCB is that you raided a cruise with 1,300 people on it and detained only 11 people who were brought to the NCB office for inquiry. NCB must clarify on whose instructions these three people were released. Our information is that the BJP leaders from Maharashtra and Delhi made phone calls to get them released.”
He further sought to know the reasons behind bringing them to the NCB office and releasing them. “NCB must answer if the 11 persons were detained among 1,300 people, then why did it release the three persons. We demand Wankhede to clarify this. What was the reason to bring the three persons to the NCB office and what investigation was completed that they were let off?” Malik asked.
The minister further said that the entire investigation is progressing further based on the WhatsApp chats. “Did NCB take the phones of these three people and see their chats? The entire case of raiding a cruise ship is fabricated. A plan was devised to invite some celebrities and they were framed in it,” he added.
Malik also demanded Mumbai and Maharashtra Police to obtain call records of these people. “The call details of Samir Wankhede should also be obtained. We feel that from the mobile of Sachdev’s father, conversations took place between Wankhede and BJP leaders in Delhi and Maharashtra. If call details are obtained, then the actual truth about the detention and release will come out before the public,” he added.
Meanwhile, terming the allegations as “baseless,” the NCB said that 14 persons were brought to its office of which, eight were arrested and six allowed to go as no evidence was found against them.
