'Friend used as witness': Nawab Malik fires another salvo against NCB

Mumbai, Oct 16: Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik on Saturday levelled fresh charges against the Narcotics Control Bureau and its zonal director Sameer Wankhede, who is also the chief investigator of the Aryan Khan drug case.

In a series of tweets, Malikalleged that Wankhede uses his 'friends as a 'panch' (witness) in different cases.

Fletcher Patel is a friend of #NCB official Sameer Wankhede and his family.
I have presented 3 different Panchnamas where Fletcher Patel is a Panch.
Question arises,
Can a friend of an NCB official be allowed to be a Panch ?
Is it legally allowed ?

— Nawab Malik نواب ملک नवाब मलिक (@nawabmalikncp) October 16, 2021

"Fletcher Patel is a friend of #NCB official Sameer Wankhede and his family. I have presented 3 different Panchnamas where Fletcher Patel is a Panch. Question arises, Can a friend of an NCB official be allowed to be a Panch ? Is it legally allowed ?," asked the NCP leader.

To prove this Fletcher Patel's link with Sameer Wankhede, the minister shared Fletcher's Instagram photo with Sameer Wankhede's sister.

Against the backdrop of various raids conducted by the NCB, including on some high-profile people, Nawab Malik has been alleging that the anti-drugs agency has "malafide intentions" and is involved in "selective leaks" to frame people.

Malik last week alleged that the NCB's raid on the cruise ship off the Mumbai coast on October 2 was "fake", and no narcotic drugs were found during it.

On Wednesday, the minister alleged that the "NCB has malafide intentions and is involved in only selective leaks to frame people."

Malik also claimed his family faced trauma and stigma due to the NCB.