MUMBAI, May 2 -- Former Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) zonal director Sameer Wankhede, in his affidavit before the Bombay high court, has described the agency's issuance of notices to him over alleged irregularities in two cases he supervised as a "witch hunt" and a "media trial". The IRS officer has alleged that NCB deliberately "leaked sensitive details and confidential notices" to the press to settle personal scores and damage his public reputation. According to the affidavit filed on April 16, 11 notices were issued to Wankhede based on an alleged anonymous complaint received by former minister Nawab Malik in 2021. It flagged purported irregularities in two cases supervised by Wankhede. Wankhede has contended that NCB's action is retaliatory, linked to his high-profile investigations, including the 2021 Cordelia cruise drugs bust and the arrest of Malik's son-in-law, Sameer Khan, for alleged possession of narcotic substances. "It is a matter of shame that an honest officer is being vilified and persecuted by his department at the behest of a tainted cabinet minister who is being prosecuted for having financial links with dreaded underworld terrorists," the affidavit said.htc...