Aryan Khan drug case: CBI books Sameer Wankhede for corruption
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday registered a corruption case against former Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officer Sameer Wankhede, reported NDTV. The agency also raided nearly 30 locations, including Wankhede's residence, in connection with the case. The former anti-narcotics officer arrested Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan in an alleged drugs-on-cruise case in October 2021.
CBI accuses Wankhede of demanding money for helping Aryan
Per The Times of India, the CBI has accused Wankhede and four others of demanding Rs. 25 crore from Shah Rukh Khan for helping Aryan in the alleged case. Officials added that the CBI was informed that the accused had received an advance of Rs. 50 lakh. Reportedly, the NCB wrote to the CBI to launch an investigation against Wankhede and others for bribery.
Wankhede sought Rs. 25 crore bribe from ship owners
Per LiveMint, Wankhede, who was reportedly shunted out of the NCB last year, allegedly sought a bribe of Rs. 25 crore from the owners of Cordelia ship, and not from SRK as other reports claimed. Notably, Aryan spent four weeks in jail and was cleared of all charges by the anti-drugs agency in May 2022 due to "lack of sufficient evidence."
SIT gave clean chit to Aryan last year
Wankhede was removed from his position following an inquiry by the Special Team of Investigation (SIT), which found anomalies in the Cordelia raid and gave a clean chit to Aryan. Friday's development comes days after superintendent Vishwa Vijay Singh, who was also a part of the team that arrested Aryan, was sacked by the NCB for misconduct in another matter.
