Mumbai: Speaking to The Free Press Journal on Thursday, the former zonal director of the NCB, Mumbai, Indian Revenue Service officer Sameer Wankhede said he has full faith in the judiciary and the CBI. He said that he is a law-abiding, disciplined officer and reserves his right to fight the case on merit, against the injustice done to him by a certain individual.
As per the CBI’s FIR against Wankhede, NCB Superintendent Vishwa Vijay Singh, Intelligence Officer Ashish Ranjan, witnesses KP Gosavi and Sanville D’souza, the inquiry conducted by the NCB’s special enquiry team (SET) formed under the chairmanship of CVO NCB, had revealed that on October 2, 2021, the names of certain suspects were dropped from the first information note, ‘I-Note’ and certain other accused were included subsequently to suit the proceedings. The initial I-Note contained 27 names whereas the modified I-Note only had 10 names.
However, a source close to Wankhede has raised questions on the claims made by the SET, referring to the letter submitted by Wankhede to the National Commission for Scheduled Castes in New Delhi, in October last year. The letter stated, “The director general of the NCB had initially sent the CVO to monitor the Cordelia cruise case. He was aware of all the facts of the investigation conducted and there was no default of non-compliance or anything else from my end... which was later alleged against me in the SET enquiry.”
“I was also questioned in the SET enquiry as to why I did not take longer remand etc. by the CVO on WhatsApp messages around 7- 15 October 2021. These ‘purported’ lapses, as claimed by the CVO, could have been pointed out by the CVO during the case at the relevant point in time when he was responsible for monitoring the case, but he did not do so...,” the letter stated.
Wankhede also stated the claims made by Karan Sajnani about his expensive watch having been stolen during the searches in connection with a case against him are untrue and asked why he was making such claims after almost two years. “What was he doing for these many years? If he keeps saying such things without any evidence, I will take legal action against him,” Wankhede said.
The Delhi court has provided interim protection to Wankhede till May 22 and has asked him to move the court in Mumbai. On the basis of the interim protection, Wankhede did not appear before the CBI on Thursday.
Wankhede attached WhatsApp chats with his seniors in his petition before the Delhi court
In his petition before the Delhi court, Wankhede had attached WhatsApp chats with his seniors, which allegedly show that they were kept in the loop about the arrest of Aryan Khan.
In his writ petition moved before the Delhi high court, Wankhede has made serious allegations against the Deputy DG of the NCB with additional charge as vigilance head, Gyanendra Singh. Wankhede has alleged that Gynaneshwar Singh was given minute-by-minute updates about all the accused, including Aryan.
He has also put out the details of WhatsApp chats between him and Gyaneshwar Singh regarding Aryan Khan’s arrest. In these chats, Gynaneshwar Singh is asking Wankhede for every small and big detail of the matter. These chats reveal who was arrested, what was told in the media, who sent photos and videos, who snapped the selfie with Aryan, whether he was an NCB officer; Gyaneshwar Singh sought all this information from Wankhede.
Wankhede has tried to prove in his petition that whatever he did during the Aryan Khan episode was done with the full knowledge and approval of Gyanendra Singh.
Properties of Wankhede
● Wankhede owns four flats in Mumbai, 16,88 acre land in Washim. He spent Rs82,87,399 on a fifth flat at Goregaon valued Rs 2,45,49,918. His declaration of this property is different in his statements and documents tendered by him
● As per ITR of two FY ie 1-4-2018 to 31-3-2020, Wankhede (Rs 31,55,883) and his wife Kranti's (Rs14,05,577) total income was Rs45,61,460. The expenditure on the two unreported transaction of Maldives trip (Rs7,25,000) and buying of the expensive Rolex watch (Rs22,05,000) amounts to Rs29,30,000
● Wankhede has stated that Kranti had invested Rs1.25 crore in their flat before their marriage. Their date of marriage is 08.02.2017. The ITR of FY 2016-17 has not been provided by them, thus the source of the money that has been used to pay the Rs1.25 crore is not clear
● The above expenditures added along with underreported foreign visits, about Rs10 lakh expenditure on furnishing the flat, different amount of acquisition of this flat raises question of disproportionate assets with respect to his known sources of income which needs deeper scrutiny
