'Didn't know Aryan Khan was on ship': NCB informant accused by Nawab Malik threatens suit

Manish Bhanushali, one of the persons seen being part of the NCB's Mumbai cruise ship drug bust, on Wednesday said that he will file a defamation case against Nawab Malik after the Nationalist Congress Party leader alleged BJP links in the matter in which Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan, along with seven others, was arrested. Bhanushali, who was an informant to the NCB, also alleged that Nawab Malik has put his life in danger.

Bhanushali said that he received a tip-off from his friend about the presence of drugs in the Cordelia cruise following which he alerted the Narcotics Control Bureau. "I got information on October 1 from my friend. I was invited by NCB on Saturday where I shared all the information," he said.

'My life in danger now'

Bhanushali said that he shared information as a 'common man', asserting that drug peddlers should be exposed. "I didn't know about Aryan Khan. I didn't know he was at the Cruise. My life is in danger now due to NCP. Nawab Malik's relative was held by NCB this is why they want to defame it," he said while demanding security. 

Earlier in the day, Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik alleged that Aryan Khan's arrested was 'forgery'. "For the last one month, the information was being circulated to crime reporters that the next target is actor Shah Rukh Khan," he said during a press conference on Wednesday.

He alleged that a person who was seen taking Arbaaz Merchant into the NCB was a BJP office-bearer. He showed pictures of Manish Bhanushali with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. "Bhanushali is the vice president of the BJP," Nawab Malik claimed. He also questioned NCB Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede's link with the person, KP Gosavi, whose selfie went viral with Aryan Khan.

Denying allegations, Bhanushali said, "I have never been appointed to any official designation of BJP." 

Notably, Nawab Malik's son-in-law Sameer Khan was arrested in January by NCB for allegedly conspiring to sell, procure, purchase and transport commercial quantity of drugs and six CBD sprays. He was granted bail last month.

NCB slams 'retaliatory' allegations

In a press briefing, NCB on Tuesday denied allegations levelled against the agency. NCB's Deputy Director-General Gyaneshwar Singh and Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede said that the allegations against NCB are 'baseless' and claimed that they may be a result of 'earlier actions' carried out by NCB.

"Some allegations levelled against the organisation are baseless, and seem to have malice and probable prejudice harboured in retaliation to earlier action carried out by NCB. NCB's procedure has been and will continue to be legally transparent and unbiased," the NCB said.

Eight persons, including Aryan Khan, were produced before a Mumbai court on Monday which remanded them to  NCB custody till October 7. This is a result of an NCB raid on Goa-bound Cordelia cruise on Sunday. Based on the interrogation of the accused, eight more arrests have been made in the case.