MUMBAI: Ex-Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) zonal director Sameer Wankhede on Friday filed a petition before the Bombay High Court, requesting the quashing of the First Information Report (FIR) against him by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The court will hear the petition later today.
The CBI during its investigation accused Wankhede of taking bribe. Filing a case agaisnt the former NCB Chief, it pointed that Wankhede demanded a bribe of Rs 25 lakh from superstar SRK for not implicating his son Aryan in the Cordelia cruise drug bust case. It alleged that the NCB officers involved in case conspired to obtain bribes from the accused individuals as an undue advantage.
The central agency invoked charges of criminal conspiracy, extortion, and bribery under the Prevention of Corruption Act against Wankhede and four others based on a report filed by the NCB.
Sameer Wankhede has also alleged that NCB deputy director Gyaneshwar Singh humiliated him over his caste during an inquiry. Wankhede said Singh used the CBI against him to help Aryan Khan “get off the hook” in connection with the cruise drug bust case.
He had earlier approached a Delhi court which granted him protection from coercive action for five days, allowing him the freedom to approach the appropriate forum.
Meanwhile, a report of a Special Enquiry Team (SET) which was probing the allegations against Sameer Wankhede, has revealed that Wankhede and his juniors did not follow the procedures while handling the Cordelia Cruise case. Based on media reports, the names of Aryan Khan and his friend Arbaaz Merchant were added at the last minute in the original information note while the names of some other suspects were dropped. Munmun Dhamecha, who was among the 20 arrested in the case, has also levelled similar allegations against the NCB sleuths. She claims that the NCB director had framed her to grab media attention.
Aryan Khan and 19 others were arrested by the NCB on October 3, 2021 after a raid on the Cordelia cruise ship. He was granted bail by the Bombay High Court after three weeks as the anti-drug agency failed to substantiate its charges against him.