NCB SIT takes over cruiser probe, visits Mumbai sites, summons 7

Mumbai: A Special Investigation Team of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) arrived here from New Delhi to formally take over the probe into the rave party aboard a cruise ship and other cases, officials said here on Monday.

The SIT, headed by senior officer Sanjay Kumar Singh has sent out summons to at least seven accused or witnesses in the case, including Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan and his manager Pooja Dadlani.

However, both Aryan Khan and Dadlani excused themselves citing ill-health and are likely to appear before the NCB-SIT later.

The SIT also visited the International Cruise Terminal where the alleged rave party was raided by the NCB on October 2 and a location in Lower Parel near Phoenix Mall where witness, Prabhakar Sail alleged Dadlani had handed over a packet containing Rs. 50 lakh cash to Sam D'Souza and K. P. Gosavi.

The team plans to record the statement of Sail, one of the NCB's independent witnesses and a bodyguard of Gosavi, another independent witness who is now arrested by Maharashtra Police.

Sail had created a massive sensation by releasing an affidavit claiming he overheard a Rs 25 crore deal with Shah Rukh Khan of which the NCB's Mumbai Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede was to get Rs 8 crore.

Though Wankhede vehemently denied the allegations, the NCB took strong cognisance to order a probe into the matter and also formed the SIT to take over the investigations into half a dozen cases of Mumbai NCB including the raid on the Cordelia Cruise.

D'Souza, whose name also figures in the case, said in his anticipatory bail application before the Bombay High Court that Gosavi allegedly took Rs 50 lakh from Dadlani to secure Aryan Khan's release.

Late in October, a vigilance probe team led by Gyaneshwar Singh had camped in Mumbai for a few days to probe the allegations of extortion and payoffs, but could not record the statements of several key persons including Sail.