NCB quizzes independent witness Prabhakar Sail for 11 hours, summoned again on Nov 11

Narcotics Control Bureau’s independent witness in investigations on claims of extortion against NCB officers in the Mumbai cruise-drug bust case, Prabhakar sail has once again been summoned by the NCB team. Sail has been summoned to the NCB office on November 11 at 3 pm. The summon has been sent by the second team of the NCB. Sail, who appeared before a vigilance team of the NCB on Tuesday was quizzed for over 11 hours.

Sail appeared before the NCB team on back-to-back days on Monday and Tuesday. Now, according to exclusive information procured by Republic, the independent witness has been asked to appear at the NCB office by the NCB's "operational team" on November 11. Earlier on Tuesday, a vigilance team questioned Sail for more than 11 hours in connection with an alleged attempt to extort money in the drugs case involving Aryan Khan, actor Shah Rukh Khan's son. Sail had appeared before the team on Monday too.

According to an NCB official, Sail and his lawyer Tushar Khandare appeared before the vigilance team at the Central Reserve Police Force's (CRPF) Mess in suburban Bandra around 11.55 am. Sail left at 11.25 pm after the questioning. Before this, Sail had been questioned for more than 10 hours on Monday. Now, Sail will appear before the NCB's operational team at its zonal office in south Mumbai on Thursday. The vigilance team, headed by the NCB's Deputy Director General (northern region) Gyaneshwar Singh, arrived in Mumbai from Delhi on Monday morning to carry out the rest of the investigation and started with Sail’s quizzing.

'Sail totally stands by what he said earlier': Lawyer Hemant Ingle

Referring to Prabhakar Sail’s summoning by the NCB’s Special Investigation Team, on November 8, Sail's lawyer Hemant Ingle had said, "Yes, he will be visiting the vigilance team at around 2 pm. Sail totally stands by what he said earlier as well. And he will appear before the agency with the same." Earlier, the NCB in a letter to Mumbai Police had sought its help to record Prabhakar Sail’s statement.

Sail who claims to be the bodyguard of NCB witness KP Gosavi had earlier made a statement to the media that Rs 25 crore was demanded by an official of the NCB and others, including Gosavi, to drop Aryan Khan's involvement in the cruise-drug bust case. According to Sail's statement, Gosavi, over a phone call with Sam D'Souza, discussed a demand of Rs 25 crore after Aryan Khan was brought to the NCB but settled down for Rs 18 crore, of which Rs 8 crore was to be paid to NCB's Mumbai zonal director Sameer Wankhede. 

NCB responds to Prabhakar's affidavit

Responding to the affidavit filed by Prabhakar Sail, alleging extortion and corruption by an NCB officer, the NCB had claimed that the probe is being interfered with. In Sail's affidavit, it was mentioned that Wankhede and the independent witnesses were trying to extort money in the Mumbai cruise drugs bust case. 

Image: ANI