Sameer Wankhede owns 4 flats, made multiple foreign trips: Report
What's the story
A vigilance report filed by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has made several revelations about Sameer Wankhede, the former NCB Mumbai Zone chief who arrested Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan in an alleged drugs-on-cruise case. According to India Today, the same report resulted in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registering a corruption case against Wankhede and others last week.
Context
Why does this story matter?
The CBI has accused Wankhede and others of demanding a Rs. 25 crore bribe from Khan's family, threatening that Aryan would be otherwise framed in the alleged cruise raid. Khan was arrested by Wankhede in October 2021, and spent four weeks in jail. He was cleared of all charges by the anti-drugs agency in May 2022 due to a "lack of sufficient evidence."
Report
Aryan's name was added to FIR at 'last minute': NCB
The report states that Khan and his friend Arbaaz Merchantt's names were added at the last moment, while some other suspects' names were dropped. One suspect was even allowed to go during the raid. The report further says there were a series of lapses in Khan's custody, which indicated that Wankhede intentionally gave a free hand to Kiran Gosavi, an independent witness, for misconduct.
Details
CCTV footage of alleged raid was corrupted: Report
Moreover, several witnesses stated that valuables, such as mobile phones, were taken by the NCB without proper documentation. Siddarth Shah, a drug supplier to Merchant, was permitted to go free despite clear evidence of drug consumption in his chats. A probe team also collected Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) footage of the alleged raid from the NCB Mumbai office, but it was found to be corrupted.
Wankhede's violations
Wankhede went on 6 foreign trips in 5 years
The report also exposed Wankhede for misconduct and violations of Civil Services Rules. Reportedly, Wankhede and his family made six foreign trips to countries like the United Kingdom, Portugal, Ireland, South Africa, and Maldives from 2017 to 2021, where they stayed for 55 days. The declared amount for these trips was allegedly lower than the actual cost.
Luxurious life
Wankhede owns 4 flats in Mumbai: NCB
Wankhede also owns expensive watches, which include a Rolex watch. He purchased it at a bargained price of Rs. 17 lakh, down from Rs. 22 lakh. Wankhede has four flats in Mumbai under his name, and 41,688 acres of land in Washim. He has claimed to have spent Rs. 82.8 lakh on a fifth flat in Goregaon, which is valued at Rs. 2.45 crore.
More information
Wankhede's official annual income doesn't match his expenses: Report
According to the report, Wankhede and his wife purchased a flat before their marriage for Rs. 1.25 crore, and the source of this money remains a mystery. The Income Tax returns of Wankhede and his wife show their annual income is Rs. 45.6 lakh, which does not explain how they have funded their assets and foreign trips.