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By Munish Chandra Pandey, Divyesh Singh: Aryan Khan, son of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, was arrested in connection with the Mumbai cruise drugs case early in October 2021. It took several court hearings and nearly four weeks for Aryan Khan to be granted bail. Eight months later, the Narcotics Control Bureau gave him a clean chit in the drugs case. And now, the very same case has come back to haunt three officers, one of them being the then NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede who headed the probe.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday registered a corruption case against Sameer Wankhede. The former NCB officer and four others are accused of seeking Rs 25 crore bribe for not framing Aryan Khan in the drugs-on-cruise case.
Apart from Wankhede, the CBI has registered a case against Ashish Ranjan Prasad, the then Intelligence Officer of Mumbai Zonal Unit, NCB; and VV Singh, the then Superintendent, NCB.
The central probe agency is carrying is out searches at several location across Mumbai, Delhi, Ranchi and Kanpur.
HOW ARYAN KHAN CASE BROUGHT 3 NCB OFFICERS UNDER SCANNER
The Narcotics Control Bureau had busted a rave party onboard a cruise ship off the coast of Mumbai in October 2021. A team of NCB officials seized various illegal drugs such as cocaine, hashish, and MDMA during the raid on Cordelia Cruises’ Empress ship. Following the raid, Aryan Khan and his friend Arbaaz Merchant are among the eight arrested by NCB officials.
As the high-profile arrest made headlines, one of panch witnesses, Prabhakar Sail, claimed that Rs 25 crore was demanded on behalf of Sameer Wankhede for the release of Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan in the Mumbai cruise drugs case.
It was alleged that independent witness KP Gosavi posed as an NCB officer and met Shah Rukh Khan’s manager Pooja Dadlani to take money from her for the release of Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan on the night of the raid.
Gosavi had also taken a selfie with Aryan Khan while he was in custody.
Afterwards, the SIT had claimed that it had CCTV footage in which Pooja Dadlani’s car could be seen in Mumbai’s Lower Parel at the spot mentioned by Prabhakar Sail.
Former Maharashtra Cabinet minister Nawab Malik had raised the issue of a private individual like Gosavi being made a witness in the case.
After Gosavi’s role became suspicious, and he was arrested by Pune Police in another case, Prabhakar Sail filed an affidavit. Sail claimed that he had overheard a conversation about an alleged pay-off involving NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede and Gosavi.
Last year, the SIT set up by the anti-drugs agency to probe corruption allegation had also claimed that the probe led by Sameer Wankhede had lapses.
ALSO READ | Aryan Khan gets clean chit in drugs case. Should he get compensation for time spent in jail?
WHAT CBI FIR SAYS
The CBI on Friday said that the case was registered on complaint from Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Delhi.
It is alleged that IRS officer Wankhede and others had allegedly demanded Rs 25 crore bribe for not framing Aryan Khan in the alleged drug bust, the officials said.
In a statement, the CBI said, “It has been further alleged that an information was received in the Mumbai Zone of NCB during October, 2021 related to consumption/ possession of Narcotics Substances by various individuals on a private Cruise Ship. It has also been alleged that the said persons entered into conspiracy in order to extort an amount of Rs. 25 crore from the family members of the alleged accused by threatening them of the accusation of offences of possession of Narcotics Substances as per the alleged directions of then Zonal Director being the Supervisory Officer.”
The CBI received information that Rs 50 lakh was allegedly collected by the officer and his accomplice as advance, it added.
Accordingly, the CBI has registered a case against tSameer Wankhede, the then Zonal Director of NCB; Vishwa Vijay Singh, then Superintendent, NCB; Ashish Ranjan, then Intelligence Officer of Mumbai Zonal Unit, NCB; two private persons- KP Gosavi and Sanvile D’Souza, and other unknown persons.
ALSO READ | Gauri Khan finally breaks silence on son Aryan Khan’s arrest, says ‘nothing can be worse’
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