Overview
- Police in Navi Mumbai registered the case on Friday after the Bombay High Court orally directed action on a writ by the builder’s wife.
- The FIR names NCB zonal director Amit Ghawate, NCB officer Akash Malik, and ANC inspector Sandeep Nigade under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 108 for abetment to suicide, 61 for criminal conspiracy, and 308 for extortion.
- Gurunath Chichkar died by suicide on April 25, 2025, leaving a note alleging harassment by NCB and local police, as his wife also accused officials of a Rs 10–15 crore demand and coercive searches without proper seizure records.
- Ghawate denied wrongdoing and said the NCB acted lawfully, citing cocaine seizures in January 2025, a July NDPS case, nine arrests, a Rs 10.6 crore asset freeze later upheld by SAFEMA, and a related money-laundering probe by the Enforcement Directorate.
- The case stems from an NCB probe into an alleged transnational drug syndicate involving Chichkar’s sons, who were deported from Malaysia and remain in custody, and the new FIR now tests oversight of federal and local narcotics enforcement.