clean chit to Bollywood son of actor shahrukh khan Aryan Khan Questions have been raised on the controversial investigation conducted by the Preliminary Investigation Team led by NCB Zonal Director Samir Wankhede in the Cordelia Cruises drugs case.
Speaking to News18, Sanjay Singh, Deputy Director General (Operations) of Narcotics Control Bureau, who headed the Special Investigation Team, said that there was no “U-turn” by the NCB in the matter. Singh’s SIT took over the investigation after Wankhede and his team were removed from the high-profile case.
However, in an exclusive interview, Sanjay Singh pointed out several irregularities in the preliminary investigation like informers being made witnesses, mobile phones not being confiscated as per law, no medical examination to prove consumption And WhatsApp chat is being used as the primary evidence. ,
Edited excerpt:
You have just completed the Cordelia Cruz Drugs investigation. Some people, including Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan, have been acquitted. What is the basis of this big U-turn when Bollywood is under the purview of NCB?
The Special Investigation Team set up to investigate the Cordelia Cruises drugs case has conducted a fair and proper investigation. On completion of the investigation, all the material and evidence collected during the investigation were evaluated and it was concluded that the material available for filing a complaint against the six accused including Aryan Khan was insufficient. no u Turn; The conclusion is drawn on the basis of the principle of evidence beyond reasonable doubt.
Some people have been acquitted for lack of evidence. Why couldn’t the first investigation team follow the procedure demanded by law?
I do not wish to comment on the work of the previous investigative team. We did not register complaints against some persons because some procedures were not correct and some things were not done. The investigation team could not seize the drugs from these persons.
Medical examination of the accused persons was not conducted at the time of arrest to prove the charge of consumption. Removing data from the mobile phone without formally confiscating it puts a question mark on the validity of the data. The admissibility of WhatsApp chats as primary evidence has been questioned by the Hon’ble Supreme Court. Therefore taking into account all the facts and circumstances, the SIT concluded that the case is not suitable for registering a complaint against the six accused, including Aryan Khan.
Is there going to be any further investigation in Aryan Khan case?
The investigation of the case is over. We have filed complaints against 14 accused on the basis of prosecutable evidence, out of which six have been acquitted, against whom we have not found prosecutable material.
Sameer Wankhede and his officers made Aryan Khan’s WhatsApp chat a big issue. On the basis of these chats, Aryan Khan did not get bail for 29 days. Why are these chats no longer on record?
As I said earlier, mobile phones were not confiscated as per the law. Any data so extracted from a digital device will always be treated as suspicious. Anyway, the WhatsApp chats have been finely analyzed and they are not related to the present matter. I may add here that various Supreme Court judgments state that WhatsApp chats cannot be used as primary evidence.
What was wrong with the previous probe headed by Sameer Wankhede? How and why do you think this happened?
The SIT has noticed several irregularities. The major ones are: witnessing informers, no videography of seizure, data extraction from mobile phones in certain cases even when no objectionable material is available, no formal seizure of digital devices, no medical examination to prove consumption , using WhatsApp chat as primary evidence.
Key witness Prabhakar Sail is no more. Do you think his death also weakened this case?
this is sad. His statement was recorded before he died. In his statement, Mr. Prabhakar said that he had neither recovered nor had any seizure, and was asked to sign blank papers.
The agency had sought two months’ time in the investigation. Did you discover anything important during this period?
These are procedural matters and I will not elaborate further on this. But it was important for us to satisfy ourselves before taking any approach. One approach can destroy an innocent person and clean someone wrong can be dangerous for society and bad for agency. So we were cautious before proceeding. We wanted to proceed very carefully.
Are you clearly saying that this is a complete clean chit to Aryan Khan?
We are saying that in our investigation we did not find any evidence against (some) persons. As I said earlier, we did not find any evidence against these people to proceed.
The first investigation team is under investigation. written against you Sameer Wankhede And in his team chargesheet. Do you see any action against them in future?
We have conducted our investigation in a fair and reasonable manner. During the course of investigation, we have noticed several irregularities and they have been put on record. The DG, NCB has ordered that the Vigilance Team may consider them when they present their findings.
As an investigator, are you happy?
I am personally satisfied with the work of SIT. Our finding of non-registration of complaint against the six accused persons is based on the principle of evidence beyond reasonable doubt. Courts are very particular about complying with the procedures laid down in the law, as the punishment provided under the NDPS Act is stringent.
How deep is the connection between Bollywood and drugs?
How can I comment on this? There are cases against many persons from all walks of life. Bollywood is also an industry and the difference between other individuals and them is that Bollywood is famous. But yes, many celebrities are being investigated by NCB. I do not know the result and do not wish to comment further.
read all breaking news , today’s fresh news And IPL 2022 Live Updates Here.