Sameer Wankhede, former Mumbai zonal director of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), accused the agency’s Special Enquiry Team (SET) of attempting to clear Aryan Khan, son of Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, in a cruise-drug case by suppressing crucial evidence.
Wankhede submitted these allegations to the Bombay High Court on Thursday.
Wankhede is currently under the protection of the court against arrest in a bribery and extortion case brought forth by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), with his interim protection extended until June 23. In his affidavit, Wankhede claimed the SET twisted facts and made false allegations to sabotagethe careers of honest officials. The CBI alleges that Wankhede, along with four others, demanded a bribe of Rs 25 crore from Shah Rukh Khan to prevent his son from being implicated in a drug seizure case on a cruise ship. Wankhede filed a rejoinder affidavit in his petition to quash the CBI’s case against him. Justices A S Gadkari and S G Dige of the High Court are scheduled to hear Wankhede’s plea on June 23, and have extended his interim protection from arrest in the case until the hearing. The NCB had formed the SET to investigate alleged irregularities committed by Wankhede in the Cordelia cruise drug case, which led to Aryan Khan’s arrest in October 2021. Wankhede claimed the SET’s primary objective was to absolve Aryan Khan by creating doubts about the cruise case. Wankhede’s rejoinder affidavit also accused the SET report of bias and vengeance against him, allegedly driven by a personal vendetta held by his superior, Gyaneshwar Singh, the deputy director-general of the NCB. Wankhede defended the selfie taken by an independent witness in the drugs case with Aryan Khan, stating that Aryan’s celebrity status prompted many individuals to take pictures with him. The affidavit also claimed that the selfie was taken without NCB’s consent. The IRS officer’s counsel, Aabad Ponda, informed the court that Wankhede has appeared before the CBI seven times for questioning and has cooperated fully. However, CBI advocate Kuldeep Patil argued that the investigation was at a critical stage. Aryan Khan and several others were arrested in October 2021 on charges of drug possession, consumption, and trafficking. After three weeks in jail, Aryan Khan was granted bail. The NCB later filed its charge sheet but did not list Aryan Khan as an accused due to a lack of evidence.
