In a sensational allegation, Maharashtra Minister and senior NCP leader Nawab Malik on Tuesday linked Mumbai Zonal head of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Sameer Wankhede and Fashion TV head Kashiff Khan with the Russian drug mafia operating in Goa and that Kashif was “managing  the show" on behalf of  Wankhede there.

“Everyone knows, drug tourism is flourishing in Goa. The Russian mafia is running a drug business in Goa and Kashiff Khan is managing the show on behalf of Wankhede.  Why was Kashiff Khan not detained? Why was his phone not checked? Why was he allowed to board the (Goa-bound) Cordelia Cruise. Wankhede has to answer all these questions,” Malik said.

Malik was addressing a news conference here after he shared on his official twitter handle purported screenshots of WhatsApp chats between K P Gosavi and an informer from Delhi and alleged that they were planning to trap people who were going to attend the party on the Cordelia cruise ship.

“I have shared whatsapp chats between K P Gosavi and an informer from Delhi. He has given some names and photographs. On the basis of names and photographs, people ( Aryan Khan and others) were detained. In those whatsapp chats where there were two names, Kashif Khan being one of the names. His photograph was also shared,” Malik said.

“Why was he ( Kashiff Khan) allowed to enjoy the party on the cruise. He is the main kingpin of the entire party. He had sponsored the party. He is in Goa today. There is a relation between Wankhede and Kashiff. There are lots of cases filed against Kashiff in the country. He is absconding from a court order. Why was Kashiff Khan not detained? Why was he allowed to board the cruise?. He (Kashiff Khan) runs the show on behalf of Wankhede in Goa,” Malik said.

“There is a person named White Dubai, who runs the drug racket in the country. I will talk about him in the coming days. The names of White Dubai and Kashiff Khan figure in Gosavi’s whatsapp chat. The photographs of Kashiff Khan and White Dubai, Wankhede allowed the two to board the cruise. The drug went for two days on the cruise. Kashiff and White Dubai were behind the party. Even after their return, Kashiff and White Dubai were given safe passage,” Malik alleged.

“Here are whatsapp chats between K P Gosavi and an informer which shows how they were planning to trap people who were going to attend the party on the Cordelia Cruise. This is Sameer Dawood Wankhede's private army therefore he has a lot to answer,” Malik had earlier tweeted.

“Re- posting the whatsapp chats between K P Gosavi and an informer for those doubting the authenticity of the same. K P Gosavi's number is visible here and open to verification, he is currently in the custody of Pune Police,” Malik said in another tweet. 

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan and seven others initially detained on the night of October 2 and later arrested on October 3, after the NCB officials busted a rave party and seized 13 grams of cocaine, 5 grams of MD (Mephedrone), 21 grams of Charas, 22 pills of MDMA (Ecstasy) and Rs 1.33 lakh in cash from Goa-bound Cordelia Cruises' Empress ship, off the Mumbai coast. Subsequently, 12 more persons were arrested in connection with the mid-sea rave party.

It may be recalled that on October 25, 2021, the NCB had ordered a vigilance inquiry against Wankhede after its Deputy Director-General, South West Region Mutha Ashok Jain submitted his report to the NCB headquarters saying among other things:  “....As some of the contents of the affidavit relate to the vigilance matters, I am hereby forwarding the affidavit to the Director General of Narcotic Control Bureau and requesting for further action”.

A Special Investigation Team (SIT), appointed by the NCB, is investigating the mid-sea drug bust case and five other cases “which have national and international ramifications”.

The appointment of an SIT team comes in the wake of the NCB ordering vigilance probe into the “vigilance matters” relating to the ongoing investigations in the mid-sea drug bust case and summoning of Wankhede to its headquarters in the capital last week for a meeting with the top bosses. The two events were a fallout of the allegations made through an affidavit by “panch witness” Prabhakar R Sail – including the charge of Rs 8 crore extortion attempt -- in the mid-sea drug bust case.

What has embarrassed most is the manner in which is the fact that Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh’s son Aryan and two other accused -- Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha – were granted bail by the Bombay High Court on October 28, while a special NDPS court granted bail to two accused ahead of the high court granting bail to Aryan and two and two others and it granted bail to nine others on October 30,

At a news conference held on November 7, Malilk had alleged that BJP leader Mohit Kamboj-Bharatiya – in collusion with Narcotics Control Bureau's  Sameer Wankhede—had  master-minded the “kidnap and ransom” drama involving Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan.

Among other things, Malik had also claimed that as part of the larger game-plan, the Team Kamboj-Wankhede had wanted to frame Maharashtra ministers and their children in the cruise drug-bust case. “Fashion TV India MD Kashiff Khan had coaxed Maharashtra Minister Aslam Shaikh to come for the cruise party as well. There were also plans to bring children of several state minister to the cruise party. Had Aslam Shaikh had gone to the party, it would have been Udta Maharashtra after Udta Punjab".