Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik on Sunday alleged that NCB’s Mumbai zonal director Sameer Wankhede was part of a plot to “kidnap” Aryan Khan, the son of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan. Speaking to reporters in Mumbai, Malik claimed BJP leader Mohit Bharatiya was the “mastermind” of the plot.

He further claimed that Wankhede had met Bharatiya at a graveyard in suburban Oshiwara.

Malik has repeatedly termed the cruise drugs bust case as “fake” and levelled a series allegations against Wankhede.

“Aryan Khan didn’t purchase the ticket for the cruise party. It was Pratik Gaba and Amir Furniturewala who brought him there. It’s a matter of kidnapping and ransom. Mohit Bharatiya is the mastermind and partner of Sameer Wankhede in demanding ransom,” Malik told reporters.

Aryan Khan didn’t purchase the ticket for the cruise party. It was Pratik Gaba and Amir Furniturewala who brought h… https://t.co/y7XjEVkB5u

— ANI (@ANI) 1636260504000

“Mohit and Sameer met outside Oshiwara graveyard on Oct 7. After which, Wankhede panicked and complained to the police that they were being chased. They were lucky that the nearby CCTV was not working and we couldn’t get the feed,” he added.

Mohit Kamboj and Sameer Wankhede met outside Oshiwara graveyard on Oct 7. After which, Wankhede panicked and compla… https://t.co/Hoo6PSa4sF

— ANI (@ANI) 1636261019000

His statements come after Mohit Bharatiya, a BJP party member on Saturday claimed that Sunil Patel, who is linked with NCP leaders, is the alleged “mastermind” of the sensational case.

Talking to media persons, Bharatiya said that Patil, who hails from Dhule, has close connections with all the top Nationalist Congress Party leaders and ministers and had prior knowledge of the rave party that was scheduled on the cruiser, which was raided by Narcotics Control Bureau’s Mumbai Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede, on October 2.

Malik rubbished the claims, terming it as an unsuccessful attempt “by a member of Wankhede’s private army to misguide and divert attention from the truth”.

A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the NCB reached Mumbai on Saturday, a day after the agency transferred investigation in six cases. The team which flew in from Delhi, later left for the NCB zonal office in south Mumbai, an official said. It is headed by senior IPS officer Sanjay Kumar Singh, DDG Operations at NCB headquarters.

The team will investigate the six cases, which have national and international ramifications in order to conduct deeper investigation to find out forward and backward linkages, the NCB said on Friday.

Aryan Khan was last month arrested following a raid led by Wankhede on a cruise ship from which drugs were allegedly seized.