NCB witness in Aryan Khan’s arrest case who alleged Rs 25-cr extortion against Sameer Wankhede dies

News Network
April 2, 2022

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In a shocking development, Prabhakar Sail, a panch witness in the drugs-on-cruise case involving the Narcotics Control Bureau raid on Cordelia cruise liner, died of a suspected heart attack on Friday evening.

The case pertains to a drug bust in which a total of 20 persons were arrested in the intervening hours of October 2 and 3, 2021. Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan was also arrested in connection with the case from the cruise liner. 

Sail, in his early forties, died at his residence in Mahul of Chembur. 

Sail was the personal bodyguard of independent witness KP Gosavi, who claims to be a private detective and is currently behind bars. Gosavi's selfie with Aryan Khan led to a furore. Initially, it appeared that Gosavi was an officer, however, later NCB denied it and revealed that he was a witness. 

Prabhakar Sail’s allegation

In October last year, Sail stunned everyone by alleging the exchange of a huge volume of money involving officers from the Narcotics Control Bureau including its Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede. 

Sail, in his affidavit, had alleged that he heard Gosavi speak with one Sam D’Souza about one Rs. 18 crore deal of which Rs. 8 crore was meant to be paid to NCB Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede. According to Sail’s affidavit, he was present in the car when Gosavi spoke to D’Souza.

Sail had alleged that Gosavi held a meeting with D’Souza and Shah Rukh Khan’s manager, Pooja Dadlani in a car the same evening. Sail had gone on to add that he received the cash from Gosavi and personally delivered it to D’Souza.

Sail, one of the nine witnesses whose names were later released by the NCB, had said that he feared for his life after Gosavi went missing. This, according to him, was the reason why he decided to file an affidavit.

The affidavit had read, “On 1st October 2021, at about 9.45 PM, he (Gosavi) called me and said that I should be ready by 7.30 AM and that he has left. On 2nd October 2021, at about 7.35 Kiran Gosavi called me and said that he had transferred Rs. 500 to my gpay account and told me that he is sending me a location on WhatsApp and told me to come to that location.”

“I reached CST station at 8.45 PM and when I saw the location at WhatsApp, it was shown as NCB office. I reached there by taxi and saw white Innova car MH-12 GJ-3000 parked opposite NCB office, I asked the driver Vijay Suryavanshi as to where is KP Gosavi. He told me that KP Gosavi is in NCB office and he is in a meeting with NCB officials.”

He had continued, “I was with the driver at about 10 AM. Kiran Gosavi called the driver and came down with NCB officer for NCB office. Kiran Gosavi and the said officer left in the said Innova and instructed me to wait there itself. (sic)

“At about 10.30 pm I was called (by) KP Gosavi in the boarding area and I saw Aryan Khan in one of the cabins at the cruise boarding area. I saw one girl, Munmun Dhamecha and few others with NCB officials.”

“Till such time we reached Lower Parel KP Gosavi was talking to Sam on the phone and stated that you put a bomb of 25 crores and let’s settle at 18 final because we have to give 8 crores to Sameer Wankhede,” Sail had concluded.

Wankhede had denied allegations made by Sail.

The Mumbai Police later formed a four-member team to investigate sensational claims made by NCB witness Prabhaakr Sail. It was only after Sail’s claims that the NCB was forced to remove Sameer Wankhede from the case’s investigation.

Interestingly, Maharashtra Minister Nawab Malik had also accused Wankhede of indulging in extortion as he raised questions on the latter’s mysterious trips to the Maldives and Dubai in the past.

Malik was later arrested by another central government agency, the Enforcement Directorate.

Aryan Khan was arrested with seven others from a Goa-bound cruise ship by the NCB. He had to spend nearly a month in Mumbai’s Arthur Road jail until the Bombay High Court granted him bail.

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News Network
November 18,2024

Advisors to US President-elect Donald Trump have instructed his allies and associates to refrain from using the inflammatory language they previously employed when discussing issues related to migrants and the deportation of asylum seekers, in a bid to avoid “looking like Nazis.”

US media reports said that Trump’s associates had been asked to stop using the word “camps” to describe potential facilities that would be used to accommodate migrants rounded up in deportation operations across the country.

The reports said the US president-elect’s allies had been ordered to stave off such charged terms as they would bring to mind “Nazis,” and be used against Trump.

“I have received some guidance to avoid terms, like ‘camps,’ that can be twisted and used against the president, yes,” one Trump ally told American monthly magazine Rolling Stone.

“Apparently, some people think it makes us look like Nazis.”

The presidential advisers also cautioned surrogates and allies to keep racist terms, which have dogged Trump’s campaign, out of their remarks.

They said with Trump’s heated rhetoric that used to compare undocumented immigrants to “animals” and his slight that they are “poisoning the blood of our country,” detractors did not need to reach too far to find parallels to Nazi Germany.

Stephen Miller, who Trump tapped to be his deputy chief of staff of policy, specifically used the word “camps” to describe holding facilities that he hoped the military could put together for immigrants.

Tom Homan, who served as the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and is chosen by Trump to be in charge of the US borders, was no stranger to such language.

“It’s not gonna be a mass sweep of neighborhoods,” he said in an interview earlier this week. “It’s not gonna be building concentration camps. I’ve read it all. It’s ridiculous.”

Becoming a little more forthright about the new government’s aggressive deportation plans, Homan likened the early days of the Trump administration to the initial invasion of Iraq in 2003.

“I got three words for them – shock and awe,” he said. “You’re going to see us take this country back.”

Trump made immigration a central element of his 2024 presidential campaign but unlike his first run, which was mainly focused on building a border wall, he has shifted his attention to interior enforcement and the removal of undocumented immigrants already in the United States.

People close to the US president and his aides are laying the groundwork for expanding detention facilities to fulfill his mass deportation campaign promise.

The businessman-turned-politician deported more than 1.5 million people during his first term.

The figure do not include the millions of people turned away at the border under a Covid-era policy enacted by Trump and used during most of Biden’s term.

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News Network
November 13,2024

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New Delhi: The Supreme Court took a firm stance on ‘bulldozer justice’ today, affirming that the Executive cannot bypass the Judiciary and that the legal process must not prejudge the guilt of an accused. In a significant judgment, the bench led by Justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan set new guidelines for demolition practices, responding to petitions challenging the controversial bulldozer actions taken against individuals accused of crimes.

The rise of this practice, termed 'bulldozer justice,' has seen authorities in various states demolish what they claim to be illegal structures belonging to accused individuals. However, multiple petitions questioned the legality and fairness of this approach, bringing the matter before the court.

Justice Gavai highlighted that owning a home is a cherished goal for many families, and an essential question was whether the Executive should have the authority to strip individuals of their shelter. “In a democracy, the rule of law protects citizens from arbitrary actions by the state. The criminal justice system must not assume guilt,” stated the bench, underscoring that due process is a fundamental right under the Constitution.

On the principle of separation of powers, the bench reinforced that the Judiciary alone holds adjudicatory powers and that the Executive cannot overstep these boundaries. Justice Gavai remarked, “When the state demolishes a home purely because its resident is accused of a crime, it violates the doctrine of separation of powers.”

The court issued a strong warning about accountability, stating that public officials who misuse their power or act arbitrarily must face consequences. Justice Gavai observed that selectively demolishing one property while ignoring similar cases suggests that the aim might be to penalize rather than enforce legality. “For most citizens, a house is the product of years of labor and dreams. Taking it away must be an action of last resort, thoroughly justified,” he said.

In its directives under Article 142 of the Constitution, the Supreme Court established new demolition guidelines. These include:

Mandatory Show-Cause Notice: No demolition should occur without first issuing a show-cause notice. The person served has a minimum of 15 days or the duration stated in local laws to respond.

Transparency of Notice Content: The notice must include specifics about the alleged unauthorized construction, the nature of the violation, and the rationale for demolition.

Hearing and Final Order: Authorities are required to hear the response of the affected individual before issuing a final order. The homeowner will have 15 days to address the issue, with demolition proceeding only if no stay order is obtained from an appellate authority.

Contempt Proceedings: Any breach of these guidelines would lead to contempt proceedings. Officials who disregard these norms will be personally accountable for restitution, with costs deducted from their salaries.

Additionally, the court mandated that all municipal bodies establish digital portals within three months, displaying show-cause notices and final orders on unauthorized structures to ensure public transparency and accountability.

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News Network
November 11,2024

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Mangaluru: In a deeply tragic turn of events, a 28-year-old woman named Ranjitha, who had recently given birth but tragically lost her newborn, ended her life by suicide on Monday. She reportedly leapt from the fourth-floor window of Lady Goschen Hospital’s luggage room.

Ranjitha, whose strength and resilience had carried her through a difficult pregnancy, was scheduled for discharge on Monday. Her journey to Lady Goschen Hospital began on October 24, when she was transferred from Karkala. She was a high-risk patient, battling both hypertension and diabetes. At the time of her admission, she was just 27 weeks pregnant.

Due to the complexities of her health, doctors made the difficult decision to perform an emergency C-section on October 30. She delivered a baby girl, premature and weighing only 960 grams. The newborn was immediately moved to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, where doctors did all they could. Despite these efforts, the baby passed away on November 3.

Ranjitha’s sorrow was profound. She stayed under hospital care even after her initial recovery and was preparing to go home on November 9. She had even requested a couple more days at the hospital, seeking time perhaps to cope with her unimaginable grief.

On the day of her discharge, a discharge card ready and her family eagerly waiting to take her home, Ranjitha reportedly made her way to the luggage room in the early hours. There, standing on a cot placed for patients' family members, she climbed to a window and fell from the fourth floor. Despite the attempts of another visitor to intervene, tragedy was inevitable. She was rushed to Government Wenlock Hospital, where doctors confirmed the worst—she was no more.

Dr. Durgaparasad M R, the Medical Superintendent at Lady Goschen Hospital, shared his grief and spoke of the ongoing investigation. A post-mortem is to be conducted, and the local Tahsildar will complete the necessary inquest procedures. Ranjitha’s exact reasons for taking this step are yet to be confirmed, though the weight of her recent losses paints a sorrowful picture.

If you or anyone you know is struggling emotionally, please remember that help is available. Reach out to mental health experts who can provide support and guidance. The toll-free helpline number 9152987821 is available to assist anyone in distress.

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