KP Gosavi was paid Rs 50 lakh as 'payoff' for Aryan Khan, but made him return it, claims Sam D'Souza

Mumbai: Sam D’Souza, whose name had cropped up in connection with the pay-off allegations surrounding the drugs-on-cruise case, on Monday claimed that he was told by NCB witness KP Gosavi that no drugs were found in possession of Aryan Khan, son of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, during the raid last month. D’Souza was accused of allegedly “brokering a deal” — purportedly between Pooja Dadlani, actor Shah Rukh Khan’s manager, and K P Gosavi to let off Aryan Khan in the case. He alleged that Gosavi did receive a payoff of Rs 50 lakh but was made to return the money. Speaking to a TV channel, ABP Majha, D’Souza said NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede had no role in the alleged deal, and Gosavi had only pretended to be in touch with him. D’Souza claimed he made Gosavi return the money after realising that he was a “cheater”. He also claimed that NCB officials were not corrupt as Gosavi and Prabhakar Sail, an independent witness, were calling each other over the phone by saving NCB Mumbai chief Sameer Wankhade’s name in their mobile phones to pretend as if he was in touch with them. Last month, Sail had claimed that he had overheard Gosavi discussing a Rs 25 crore deal with one Sam D’Souza over the phone in connection with the drugs case of which Rs 8 crore is meant for NCB Mumbai zonal director Sameer Wankhede. “In the wee hours of 3 October, I came to know that the celebrity who was caught on the ship was Aryan Khan. That time Aryan told Gosavi that he wanted to talk to his manager Pooja Dadlani. Gosavi conveyed Aryan’s message. That time Gosavi told me that Aryan Khan was clean and no drugs were found in his possession. He said we can help him (Aryan Khan),” D’Souza claimed. D’Souza said he, Gosavi, Pooja Dadlani, her husband, and one Chikki Pandey then met at Lower Parel. D’Souza further said he later came to know through one Sunil Patil from Dhule that a “token amount” of Rs 50 lakh is being paid. Asked about his relations with the NCB and allegations that he was a drug peddler, D’Souza said he had no such record and was a businessman and would in fact pass on information about narcotics to NCB officials. With inputs from PTI