New Delhi: In a big blow to the former zonal director of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Sameer Wankhede, the CBI registered an FIR for allegedly threatening the family of Aryan Khan and demanding 25 crores to let Khan go. Wankhede is facing a web of allegations concerning corruption and criminal misconduct.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), in its FIR against the IRS officer, said that Wankhede could not justify his acquired assets as per his declared income. CBI has also highlighted his foreign trips and the acquisition and sale of high-end wristwatches.
The CBI has named four others in the FIR, which include Vishwa Vijay Singh, Ashish Ranjan, KP Gosavi, and Sanvile D’Souza.
While mentioning a conspiracy, the FIR states “to extort a sum of 25 crore from the family members of the alleged accused, Aryan Khan, by threatening them with the accusation of offences of possession of narcotic substances”. “This amount was finally settled at Rs. 18 crore. A token amount of 50 lakhs as bribe money was also taken by KP Gosavi and his aide Sanville D’Souza, but later a part of this amount of 50 lakhs as bribe money was returned to them.”
After the recent CBI raids conducted at his residence, Wankhede said, “I am getting rewarded for being a patriot. Yesterday, 18 CBI officials raided my residence and searched it for more than 12 hours while my wife and children were present in the house. They found 23,000 and four property papers. These assets were acquired before I joined the service.”
Wankhede had arrested Aryan Khan, son of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, in October last year when he and other officers raided the Cordelia Cruise. NCB had claimed to have found cocaine, MDMA, marijuana, and Rs. 1.3 lakh in cash.
The arrest of Aryan Khan has put the former NCB zonal director in the headlines. Aryan Khan, who was arrested among 17 others, spent 22 days behind bars until the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) cleared him of charges due to a “lack of sufficient evidence.”
Reacting to the FIR, Kranti Redkar Wankhede, wife of Sameer Wankhede, told ANI, “Everyone knows that the allegations being levelled against him are wrong. These are just allegations, and we are fully cooperating in the CBI proceedings. We have faith in law and order, and we are ready to cooperate with the investigating agency as responsible citizens.”