Mumbai: A special court has rejected a plea of NCP leader Nawab Malik's son-in-law Sameer Khan seeking the de-freezing of his bank accounts in Bank of Baroda blocked by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in a drug-related case. The NCB is in process of identifying 'unauthorised' properties of Khan to confiscate the same under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
Khan was arrested on January 31, 2021, for having links with the seizure of 200kg of marijuana after the agency arrested British national Karan Sejnani from Khar and two sisters Rahila and Shaista Furniturewala from Bandra.
NCB prosecutor Amit Mundey pointed out that Sejnani was developing a product that included tobacco, marijuana and CBD spray in it. The prosecution had claimed that Khan was part of Sejnani's business. He spent over six months in jail before being granted bail by the special NDPS court.
After his arrest, NCB had seized his bank accounts. In his plea, Khan said the money in these accounts has got nothing to do with the trade in narcotic substances. The tenants of the applicant deposit their annual rent in these accounts and as a result of the freeze, he is unable to get any income from legitimate sources.
The NCB objected to the plea saying their investigation is still in progress wherein it is identifying the illegally acquired properties for its seizure and confiscation. The court hence, considering that the prosecuting agency is further probing the illegally acquired properties, said the application cannot be allowed.
The case registered against Khan was one of the five cases which were taken up for reinvestigation by the Special Investigation Team (SIT). The SIT has so far now cleared its stand on the present case.
Meanwhile, the CBI has booked then zonal director Sameer Wankhede, who probed the case, for alleged irregularities in the investigation of Cordelia Cruise case, involving the son of Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan.
