In a shocking turn of events, the police official who arrested Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan’s son, Aryan Khan, for banned drug use, has been booked for corruption and money extortion charges.
India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed the case against Sameer Wankhede, a former Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) director, and two officers who carried out a drug bust on a cruise ship in 2021. Wankhede has been accused of demanding INR 250 million in bribe from Khan to cease any charges against Aryan.
According to the Indian media outlets, the CBI conducted a 13-hour raid at Wankhede’s residence on Friday, ceasing several documents and a printer. The FIR filed by CBI alleged that the ‘deal’ between the parties was later finalized at 180 million and a token of 5 million was taken by the independent witness, KP Gosavi, and his aide, Sanville D’Souza.
The FIR also stated that Wankhede allegedly created an impression that Gosavi was an NCB official, ‘concealing information about’ his foreign trips, purchasing expensive watches, and acquired assets.
For those unversed on Aryan Khan’s case, In October 2021, the NCB was tipped off about the alleged use and abuse of banned drugs aboard a cruise ship traveling from Mumbai to Goa. During the raid, the Bureau arrested several people, including Aryan, who remained in custody but was granted bail on account of a lack of strong evidence against him.
Fast Forward to seven months after his first arrest, Aryan was cleared of all charges by the NCB.
As for Wankhede, he has been booked under sections 7, 7A, and 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, sections 120 B (criminal conspiracy), and 388 (extortion by threat) of the Indian Penal Code.
