Sameer Wankhede tried to extort Rs 25 crore from Shah Rukh in Aryan Khan case, says CBI FIR

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has tightened the noose on former Zonal Director of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Sameer Wankhede, in the Aryan Khan drugs case.

As per an FIR filed by CBI on Wankhede on May 12, Wankhede had given a free hand to the independent witness KP Gosavi (the one whose selfie with Aryan Khan had gone viral), to extort Rs 25 crore from Shah Rukh Khan. They threatened Khan's family of "the accusation of offences of possession of narcotics substances".

Aryan Khan was arrested by the NCB on October 3, 2021, after a raid on the Cordelia cruise ship a day before. He was granted bail by the Bombay High Court on October 28 after he had spent 25 days in jail. Khan's name was not included in the list of accused in the NCB charge sheet for a lack of evidence.

What the CBI said in the FIR

The CBI, in its FIR, mentioned that that independent witness KP Gosavi and Prabhakar Sail, now deceased, were included by the NCB in the cruise ship drug raid on the directions of Wankhede.

They initially demanded Rs 25 crore from the family members of Aryan Khan and later the amount was later finalised at Rs 18 crore, the CBI's FIR said.

Moreover, a token amount of Rs 50 lakh was taken by Gosavi and his aide Sanvile D'souza, but later a part of this Rs 50 lakh was returned.

“Sameer Wankhede as then Zonal Director of NCB and in the capacity of the immediate supervisory officer, had directed to take KP Gosavi and Prabhakar Sail as the independent witness in the proceedings against the accused and directed VV Singh to let KP Gosavi handle the accused while taking him to NCB office and thereby allowing a free hand to KP Gosavi and others in order to create such a visual impression of KP Gosavi having the custody of the accused and escorting and dragging him towards NCB Mumbai office," the CBI FIR read.

The FIR filed by CBI last week names Sameer Wankhede, former NCB SP VV Singh, intelligence officer Ashish Ranjan, a KP Gosavi and Sanvile D’Souza.

Wankhede’s foreign visits under CBI scanner

Foreign visits undertaken by Wankhede, and his assets are also under the scanner of CBI.

“He has also not declared the source of his foreign visits properly. It was also found that Wankhede has indulged himself in sale and purchase of expensive wrist watches with a private entity, Viral Rajan, without intimating the department (present or parent),” CBI's FIR read.

Wankhede's response

As the CBI conducted raids on multiple locations on Sameer Wankhede’s properties, the former officer defended himself by saying that he was being "rewarded" for being a patriot, news agency ANI reported.

Issuing a statement, Wankhede said that his Mumbai residence was raided by around 13 persons from CBI, and that the raid lasted for 12 hours while his wife and children were present.

The CBI had carried out searches in 29 locations, including his properties in Kanpur, Ranchi, Delhi, India Today reported.

The Aryan Khan drugs case

Sameer Wankhede shot to prominence after arresting Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan along with his two freinds on October 2, 2021, during a drug raid at Cordelia cruise ship that was to depart from Mumbai to Goa.

Khan was in custody for 25 days with the NCB, during which he was also sent to Arthur Road jail. However, due to lack of evidence, the court released him on October 28, 2021.

NCB leader Nawab Malik had levelled several allegations against Wankhede. He had said that the NCB officer was a born Muslim and had forged his identity to secure a government job through the SC quota. 

Malik had also alleged that there was a liquor bar operating in the name of Sameer Wankhede in Mumbai.