Mumbai: The CBI has registered a case against IRS officer Sameer Wankhede and four others for demanding Rs 25 crore bribe from actor Shah Rukh Khan. Allegedly, Sameer asked the same for helping the actor’s son Aryan Khan in the alleged drug seizure case of 2021. The CBI also conducted searches at his 29 premises in Mumbai, Delhi and Kanpur, amongst others.
The CBI also alleged that Wankhede, two former NCB officials, and some private workers had already collected Rs 25 lakh of the demanded 25 crore bribe.
Wankhede earlier served as the Narcotics Control Bureau’s ( NCB) Mumbai Zone Chief and was in controversy over the arrest of Aryan Khan in the cruise ship drugs case.
Wankhede faced several allegations during his tenure at NCB, following which he was transferred and an internal inquiry was ordered for a few of his controversial cases.
Recently, the NCB’s SIT (Special Investigation Team) that had re-examined the Aryan Khan case, submitted a chargesheet, giving a clean chit to 6 out of the 14 accused, including Aryan. The NCB cleared Aryan’s name due to “lack of sufficient evidence.”
Aryan, his friend Arbaaz Merchant and cruise guest Munmun Dhamecha were among the first to be arrested on October 3, 2021. They were granted bail by the Bombay High Court at the end of the month. No drugs however, were found on the actor’s son.
Aryan was booked for attempting consumption of drugs under Section 27, attempting an offence under Section 8 (c) (possession), Section 28 (abetment) and Section 29 (conspiracy).
