Former Mumbai NCB chief Sameer Wankhede underwent questioning by the CBI for more than five hours on Sunday. The investigation pertains to an alleged demand for a Rs 25 crore bribe from actor Shah Rukh Khan to avoid implicating his son Aryan in the Cordelia cruise ‘drug bust’ case. According to PTI, Wankhede, an Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer, arrived at the CBI office in Bandra-Kurla Complex at around 10.30 AM. During his arrival, Wankhede expressed his faith in the judiciary to reporters.
The CBI, which is probing the case, has been looking into the allegations made against Wankhede. On Saturday, Wankhede was also questioned for over five hours. Following the Sunday questioning, Wankhede and his family members visited the Siddhivinayak temple in Mumbai’s Prabhadevi. The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) had filed a complaint, based on which the central agency arrested Wankhede and four others on May 11. The charges included criminal conspiracy, extortion threats, and bribery provisions under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Providing relief to Wankhede, the Bombay High Court ordered the CBI not to take any “coercive action” against him until May 22. Wankhede claimed in court that the initial draft complaint in the 2021 drugs-on-cruise case had named Aryan Khan as an accused but was later revised with Aryan’s name dropped.
Aryan Khan, son of Shah Rukh Khan, was arrested by the NCB on October 3, 2021, following an alleged drug seizure on the Cordelia cruise ship. Subsequently, the high court granted Aryan Khan bail after the NCB failed to substantiate the charges against him.
The CBI alleged that the NCB’s Mumbai zone received information in October 2021 regarding individuals on the cruise ship involved in the consumption and possession of narcotics. It is claimed that some NCB officers conspired to demand bribes from the accused in exchange for their release.
Wankhede has consistently denied the allegations against him. In his High Court petition, he included transcriptions of phone conversations with Shah Rukh Khan during Aryan’s custody. According to the report, Khan implored Wankhede to treat his son with kindness and praised the officer for his integrity. The investigation into the matter continues.