In a tell-all interview, former Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officer Sameer Wankhede calls his defamation case against The Ba***ds Of Bollywood a fight to preserve the dignity of his family and officers of the law. He also addresses ‘misleading narratives’ circulating in the media and claims of animosity towards actor Shah Rukh Khan.

It was reported by some portals that my petition was ‘dismissed’, when I was asked just to file an amendment. We brought to the Court’s notice, too, that some PR campaign is running about my case being ‘dismissed’ or ‘rejected’. I have immense faith in our judiciary. I know that, if there is truth in whatever you are saying, the judiciary will take cognisance. I am happy that the High Court took a look at what we had to say. The hearing is scheduled for October 30.

Some meme pages related to the entertainment industry have been putting out half-baked news with flashy headlines without going into the merits of the case. My wife and sister have received humiliating messages on the lines of ‘Aapka case reject ho gaya, yahaan se laat mil gayi’, and dirty words I can’t say in the media. They humiliated the women of my house.

I don’t want to allege anything, but some fan pages and fan groups are deliberately sent to troll or send dirty messages to women so that they get offended, humiliated; it is mental torture. It doesn’t matter because we have taken all those things and presented before the court.

I am an officer of the law; whatever books and Acts are there, I act as per that. We are not living in some kind of a banana republic out here. We have a constitution, a system, a set up. There’s a chain of command. I am a very small man — just a government servant. How can anybody have such a grudge and (do) all those things? There is a system for checks and balances. These claims are just loose talks.

It’s being said that my portrayal (in the show) was some kind of ‘satire’, but I’d like to state three things. First, I am fighting for the honour of my family. Self-respect is very important for any individual. Secondly, it is for the honour of the law enforcement officers, be it NCB, Customs or any department. Anti-drug operations are a serious thing. Officers shed their blood to fight (for the country): I have seen and been on operations where my staff suffered head injuries and legs were broken. You can’t make a satire at the expense of this. Thirdly, it is a matter of the national emblem — you cannot show a middle finger and play with national honour! As a citizen, I will definitely fight for these things.

I had filed a writ petition before the Bombay High Court, wherein I had to present evidence. So, why will I ‘leak’ (the chats), what is my motive? I will bring it to court. In any case, these things will come out when arguments happen (in court). The matter is subjudice. I have also submitted the 65B certificate (A 65B certificate is a legal document required under India’s Evidence Act, 1872 to authenticate electronic records, making them admissible as evidence in court).

This is a matter handled by my legal counsel, so it will be very immature to comment on anything that I’m not aware of. I’m not that well aware of these kinds of issues. It’s the first time I’m dealing with this.

No, nothing as of now. I’m just focusing on the suit which I have filed, and I’ll be fighting for justice.

(cuts in) Not just my own, but the dignity of the department and officers also. So that next time, nobody makes a satire on cops or the law enforcement.

I am serving the government of India. So, like a loyal soldier, wherever I’m posted, I will be serving there. I will do my duty, that’s it.

Mumbai: Bombay High Court has relaxed the bail conditions imposed on actor Rhea Chakraborty, an accused in a narcotics case, and allowed her to travel abroad with prior intimation to the investigation officers.

Chakraborty was arrested by Narcotics Control Bureau on Sept 8, 2020, along with her brother and others, on allegations of financing and procuring drugs for late actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s consumption. While granting bail, the trial court had imposed a condition that Chakraborty should not leave the country without prior permission from the special judge.

In HC, Chakraborty’s lawyers contended that she is required to travel abroad for work and had to forgo assignments because of the delay in obtaining prior permission. They also said the chargesheet has already been submitted and pointed out that similar relaxation was granted to eight co-accused in the case.

The prosecution objected saying Chakraborty should not be given special treatment because she is a celebrity, and she may not return to the country. She is also a flight risk, prosecution alleged.

HC, however, said that Chakraborty has cooperated with the trial till date and has not been found violating any bail conditions and has always returned from abroad whenever she has travelled with permission.

“Before travelling abroad, she shall inform the prosecuting agency and furnish her complete itinerary at least four days before her departure... She is also directed to give her phone number to the prosecuting agency and keep her phone switched on at all times. She shall also intimate the prosecuting agency on her return to India,” HC said.

New Delhi/Mumbai: Four-and-a half years after it began probing the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, the CBI is learned to have closed the case and given a clean chit to actor Rhea Chakraborty, bringing curtains on a case that had gripped the country, reports Rajshekhar Jha. Rajput was found dead at his Bandra flat on June 14, 2020.

The probe agency is learned to have filed a closure report in two of the cases it was investigating, sources said. While one case was filed in Aug 2021 in Patna by Rajput's father against Rhea, her kin and others, the other was filed in Sept by Rhea against Rajput's sister and doctor.

The closure report in both was filed in a special Mumbai court, sources said. Rhea's lawyer Satish Maneshinde said, "Rhea Chakraborty had to undergo untold miseries and was behind bars for 27 days for no fault of hers until Justice Sarang V Kotwal released her on bail. I salute her and her family for having kept silent and yet suffered the inhuman treatment they were meted out. Innocent people were hounded and paraded before the media and investigative authorities. I hope this does not repeat in any case."

Rajput was found dead at his Bandra apartment on June 14, 2020, six days after his PR manager Disha Salian died. Mumbai police, which first probed the case, termed it as a case of suspected suicide, although no suicide note had been found. The provisional post-mortem suggested the cause of death was asphyxia due to hanging.

Coincidentally, on Wednesday, Disha's father Satish Salian alleged his daughter was gangraped and murdered. He has filed a plea demanding a CBI probe into her death, alleging that Rajput was visibly frightened and repeatedly expressed fear that "those people" responsible for her death would not spare him and that he would be killed. He has said both deaths are interconnected and part of a larger conspiracy.

The CBI FIR in Rajput's case named Rhea and her kin Indrajit Chakraborty, Sandhya and Showik apart from her associates Samuel Miranda and Shruti Modi.

The FIR, initially filed by Bihar police, had sections of IPC related to criminal conspiracy, abetment of suicide, wrongful restraint, wrongful confinement, theft, criminal breach of trust, cheating and criminal intimidation.

After Rajput's cremation at Vile Parle's Pawan Hans crematorium, Mumbai police began their investigation, recording statements from film and casting director Mukesh Chhabra, Rajput's girlfriend Rhea, and his managerial staff. In July that year, producer Sanjay Leela Bhansali was questioned, stating he had offered Rajput four films, but eventually featured in none.

Rhea, who confirmed being in a relationship with Rajput on Twitter (now X), demanded a CBI inquiry. Mumbai police also recorded statements of filmmaker Aditya Chopra and three psychiatrists. Meanwhile, an FIR was registered against Rhea in Patna on July 28, and a team of Bihar police reached Mumbai to probe the case.

The Enforcement Directorate inquired about the money laundering angle in the case and questioned Rhea but they found no substance against her. Subsequently, the NCB initiated a probe against her along with others on allegations of procurement of drugs for Rajput which led to her arrest. In Aug 2021, the CBI filed an FIR against Rhea and others, and the ED too summoned her for questioning.

An AIIMS forensic team was roped in by the CBI on August 22, and the ED unearthed a drug angle in the case, involving the Narcotics Control Bureau.

In September 2021, Rhea filed an FIR against Rajput's sisters and doctor, which was transferred to the CBI as well.

This is the second case which has been closed as well, sources said. In October, reports emerged that the AIIMS panel had dismissed the murder theory, although the CBI stated they were probing all angles.

Actor Rhea Chakraborty, who was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau in September 2020 on drug-related charges, continues to reflect on her time in jail. In a candid conversation with rapper-singer Yo Yo Honey Singh on her podcast, she opened up about the experience.

Recalling her time in solitary confinement, Chakraborty described the concept of “suicide watch,” which is often employed for individuals involved in media-sensitive cases to prevent any extreme actions: “During that time, I could only speak to two women who were watching over me. I ended up talking a lot about mental health to them.”

“For 15 days, I spoke extensively about mental health, trying to process everything happening in my life. On the 16th day, one of the women told me, ‘I’m going back to my village. People used to tie my husband to a Peepal tree, believing he was possessed. But after listening to you, I think he may be suffering from the same thing’.”

She added, “She thanked me for helping her understand. On the day I got bail, she came to see me and said, ‘You were right — he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder’. Sometimes, I wonder if my time in jail had a greater purpose.”

Mumbai: Actor Rhea Chakraborty, accused in drugs case since the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, was granted permission to fly to Dubai from December 27 to January 2. Following a plea moved by her lawyer Prasanna Bhangale, the special NDPS court on Wednesday directed NCB to return her passport. “Accused shall surrender her passport on or before January 4,” the judge said.

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A special court on Wednesday directed the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) to return the passports of four accused persons including actor Rhea Chakraborty, who was booked in a drugs case filed by the agency after the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, allowing their separate applications with permission to travel overseas.

The court allowed the applications of Chakraborty, Karamjeet Singh Anand, Samuel Miranda and Paul Bartels.

Chakraborty was arrested in September 2020 in connection with the drugs case filed by the central agency and was granted bail in October 2020. Among the conditions of her bail was that she seek permission from court before traveling out of the country.

The court permitted her travel for a week to Dubai with conditions including surrendering her passport after her return. Last year, in June 2022, too, she had been permitted to go to Abu Dhabi for a film award but she had given it up stating that she was not aware that a lookout notice was issued by an agency against her.

New Delhi : The Supreme Court on Tuesday said the Bombay High Court ruling in actress Rhea Chakraborty’s case—that giving money to a person for procuring drugs would not mean encouraging trafficking—would not be considered as a precedent while allowing NCB’s (Narcotics Control Bureau)’s plea not to challenge the bail granted to her.

At the outset of the hearing on NCB’s appeal, additional solicitor general S V Raju said the government was not challenging her bail and the legal issue regarding interpretation of Section 27A of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act be left open for a decision at a later stage.

The central agency disagreed with the HC’s interpretation of Section 27A (under which one can be jailed for up to 20 years for financing illicit drug trafficking and harbouring offenders) and urged the court that the ruling should not be treated as precedent by other courts.

Allowing the NCB’s plea, the bench of Justices A S Bopanna and M M Sundresh said, “At this stage, the challenge to the impugned order in so far as grant of bail may not be required. However, the question of law raised is left open to be considered in an appropriate case and, as such, the judgment may not be treated as precedent in any other case.”

Chakraborty and others, including her brother Showik, were accused of having facilitated procurement of drugs for actor Sushant Singh Rajput who died. She was arrested on September 8, 2021, and got bail on October 4, 2021.

While granting relief to the actress, the HC had pointed to the anomaly in Section 27A as the punishment for consumption of narcotic drugs was a maximum one year or imposition of fine up to Rs 20,000 but if some other person, such as a friend or a relative, paid for such drugs, the person who actually consumed the drug would be punished only with imprisonment up to one year but the person who paid for the drugs would face the prospect of spending 20 years in jail.

“Therefore, Section 27A will have to be interpreted harmoniously with other sections as well as the ‘objects and reasons’ of the Act so that it attacks illicit drug trafficking but does not extend to sentencing another accused more severely than the main offender."

I am unable to agree with the submission that giving money to another for consuming drugs would mean encouraging such a habit and would mean ‘financing’ or ‘harbouring’ as envisaged under Section 27A of the NDPS Act," the HC had said.

“I am satisfied that there are reasonable grounds for believing that the applicant is not guilty of any offence punishable under Sections 19, 24 or 27A or any other offence involving commercial quantity. There are no other criminal antecedents against her," Justice Sarang V Kotwal had said in his verdict.

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The union government on Tuesday did not challenge the bail granted to Rhea Chakraborty by the Bombay High Court in the cases registered against her under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act when the matter came up for hearing in the Supreme Court. The Bombay HC had granted bail to Chakraborty in October 2020.

However, the government submitted that it wants to keep the Bombay HC interpretation of Section 27A of the NDPS Act (under which one can be sent to jail for a maximum of 20 years for financing illicit traffic and harbouring offenders) open for challenge at an appropriate time.

Representing the government in the SC, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju told a bench of Justices AS Bopanna and MM Sundresh, “We are not challenging the grant of bail, but on the interpretation of section, please keep it open for consideration. Let the order not be a precedent also.”

The SC ordered, “Union government submits bail is not being challenged. However, the question of law (is) kept open for consideration at an appropriate time. ”

“She is not part of drug dealers. She has not forwarded the drugs allegedly procured by her to somebody else to earn monetary or other benefits... there are reasonable grounds for believing that she is not guilty of any offence punishable under Sections 19, 24 or 27A (of NDPS Act) or any other offence involving commercial quantity.”

Section 27A prescribes punishment for financing illicit traffic and harbouring offenders, providing punishment of not less than 10 years, which may extend to 20 years. Application of Section 27A makes the offence not only non-bailable but prescribes additional condition under Section 37 that no such person shall be released on bail unless the public prosecutor has been given opportunity to oppose the bail, and, the court is satisfied that there are reasonable grounds for believing that the accused is not guilty of such an offence and is not likely to commit any offence while on bail.

During the hearing of Rhea and her brother Showik Chakraborty’s bail pleas in the Bombay High Court in Oct 2020, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) argued that if a person does not disclose that someone known to them consumes drugs, that’ll amount to ‘harbouring’ of an offender, according to Section 27A of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. This brought into focus the aforementioned section of the act and a peculiar case of not reporting a crime amounting to a far greater jail time than the actual crime itself.

Mumbai: Sameer Wankhede, a former Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officer under probe for extortion and bribery, told the Bombay High Court that a special enquiry team (SET) sought to give a clean chit to Aryan Khan, son of actor Shah Rukh Khan, by “suppressing” information and evidence in the October 2021 Coredelia drug bust case.

Wankhede said this during the hearing of his petition to quash an FIR registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against him for allegedly extorting money to let Aryan Khan off. The SET set up by NCB had alleged that Wankhede added Aryan Khan and a friend Arbaaz Merchant's names in the case at the last minute. Eventually, after his arrest, the NCB dropped all charges against Aryan.

Wankhede said, “The entire endeavour of the SET was to create many doubts regarding the investigation of the Cordelia Cruise case to meet their ultimate motive of giving Aryan Khan a clean chit and be able to justify the same.” Wankhede said it was one of the rarest cases of high-handedness by the agencies to make him a scapegoat.

The high court has posted the matter for hearing on June 23. The CBI has sought recall of the interim protection given by the HC in May to Wankhede and dismissal of his quashing plea against its FIR saying the probe is at an initial stage.

Wankhede also denied allegations of not maintaining documentation on the seizure of a phone from Aryan and said SET was making a frivolous observation to justify its clean chit to the youth. He called it “nothing but a figment of imagination of SET chairman…”

He claimed procedures were followed with Khan voluntarily handing over his phone for a probe. Regarding the source of money for his repeated foreign trips and a Rolex watch, Wankhede said his family paid for them. He said allegations were being made to humiliate him and create a bad public image.

Wankhede said the inquiry by SET—set up on October 25, 2021--was itself in violation of section 17A (need of a prior sanction) of the Prevention of Corruption Act when allegations are against a public servant. Wankhede also denied that an intelligence information report was changed to target certain individuals. The allegations are ill-founded and the finding by the SET was made “merely to harass honest officers of NCB.’’ The note, he said, contained 10 names including Aryan Khan and some unknown persons.

On a selfie taken by an independent witness with Aryan Khan in the NCB office, Wankhede said it was taken without the consent of any NCB officer and was humanly impossible for him to keep an eye on the actions of panchas (witnesses).

Mumbai Observing it was the prosecution’s fault and there was no illegality committed by the magistrate in passing the bail order, a special NDPS court recently refused to cancel the bail granted to TV comedian Bharti Singh and her husband Haarsh Limbachiyaa, almost three years after they were released from jail in a drugs case.

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) had moved the special NDPS court in 2020 seeking cancellation as a magistrate’s court granted them the relief after neither the NCB nor the public prosecutor representing the investigating agency appeared before the court to make submissions on the bail pleas.

The special NDPS court pointed out that when the matter was posted a day after the bail plea was filed in the magistrate’s court, the agency did not come to court. “Therefore, it is not the case that (the) prosecution was not given (an) opportunity to oppose the applications but it is fault on the part of the prosecution that they did not avail the opportunity to file reply and to oppose the bail applications. The prosecution neither filed reply on bail applications nor filed any application for adjournment seeking time to file reply...Even investigating officer and special public prosecutor failed to appear before the court. Therefore, it is fault of prosecution,” the court said.

As pointed out by the couple’s advocates Ayaz Khan and Zehra Charania, the court also said that the offence involves punishment of up to one year in jail or with a fine of Rs 10,000 or both. “Since (the) present offence does not fall under category of any of the offences as given in Sec 37-Bof NDPS Act, the condition of giving opportunity to the public prosecutor is not applicable,” the court said.

The court also said that there are no allegations against the accused about their interference with the administration of justice, evasion or attempting to evade the due course of justice or about abusing the concession granted to them in any manner. “There are no allegations of committal of breach of conditions of bail order granted by… magistrate. Therefore, there are absolutely no grounds made out for cancellation of bail to the respondents. . . The application is devoid of merits and is liable to be rejected,” the court said.

In November 2020, the NCB allegedly recovered 86.5 grams of marijuana, also known as ganja, from Bharti and Haarsh’s home and office and they were taken into custody. In October 2022, NCB submitted chargesheet in which it cited statement of accused-turned approver Sowmiyanarayanan (23), a Bandra (E) musician, recorded before a magistrate’s court.

In a significant development, the Bombay High Court granted extension of the interim protection until June 8 to controversial IRS officer Sameer Wankhede, dealing a major setback to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), as the CBI had requested an additional two weeks to submit its reply.

On Monday, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) filed a response before the court, asserting that there were no violations of the law in Wankhede’s case and that the necessary sanction under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act was obtained within the prescribed 21-day period. During the previous hearing, Wankhede’s counsel argued that the four-month time limit had elapsed and deemed the FIR registered by the CBI as illegal.

“The departmental enquiries conducted by the Narcotics Control Bureau, by following the due process of law and the principles of natural justice, which were under the CCS (Conduct) Rules,1965, and the Report submitted by the SET dated 25.10.2021, is different from the criminal action being undertaken by the CBI which are simultaneous proceedings, having no effect and/or bearing on the other. Further, the NCB has obtained the requisite prior approval under Section 17A on 11.05.2023 which is within 3 months from the date of application i.e. 20.04.2023. Hence, there is no bar of Section 17A in present case,” (SIC) reads the response of the NCB filed before the court.

In its reply, the NCB has also highlighted the details of its vigilance report which talks about various irregularities by its Mumbai office and Wankhede while handling the Cordelia Cruise case and accused Aryan Khan. The affidavit filed by the NCB also has details of Wankhede’s assets and his foreign trips on misdeclared expenses.

During Monday’s proceedings, senior advocate Aabad Ponda represented Wankhede and highlighted that the CBI had been investigating the case since October 25, 2021, with the formation of a special enquiry team at that time. Ponda emphasized that the enquiry had been ongoing for over one and a half years, making Section 17A applicable in this situation.

He further stated that Wankhede had received a Section 41A notice under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and was fully cooperating with the investigation, thereby negating the need for his arrest. However, the public prosecutor representing the CBI argued that granting Wankhede interim relief would be prejudicial, claiming he would not cooperate and might tamper with evidence. The CBI also assured the court that if an arrest were to be made, they would provide appropriate reasons for it.

Additionally, the public prosecutor raised concerns about Wankhede leaking chats with the father of one of the accused. It was revealed that the father had communicated with Wankhede about his son, who was in Wankhede’s custody. The prosecutor alleged that Wankhede was now using these chats to establish his own innocence. The court questioned Wankhede’s actions of leaking chats while the matter was still subjudice, and directed him to refrain from making any statements or releasing any further chats that could hinder the ongoing investigation. Ponda, speaking on Wankhede’s behalf, refuted the claim that he had leaked any chats, asserting that the press had accessed them from his petition filed before the court.

Ponda further asserted that Wankhede had taken action against influential individuals who are now attempting to retaliate. He explained that the chats were included in the affidavit due to corruption allegations made against Wankhede. Ponda highlighted that the father of the accused, Shah Rukh Khan, himself referred to Wankhede as an upright officer and discussed the reformation of his son. Ponda questioned the logic behind such statements, stating, “If any money was asked, why would the father call him an upright officer?”

After hearing arguments from both sides, the court decided to extend the protection granted to Wankhede until June 8, while directing the CBI to submit its reply by June 3.

Wankhede on Monday has given a written complaint to Mumbai police commissioner alleging that he and his family have been receiving threats on social media and he needs protection as he fears for his life.

The NCB (Narcotics Control Bureau) Special Investigation Team (SIT) that probed the Cordelia cruise drug case and exonerated Aryan Khan and five other accused individuals, has said that the allegations levelled by Sameer Wankhede in his affidavit, claiming that the SIT manipulated the charge sheet and removed Khan’s name despite it being included in the Department Legal Advisor’s (DLA) report, are baseless and misleading.

“Wankhede should present evidence to support his claims, as there are multiple pieces of evidence indicating his attempts to frame Aryan, though his name was not mentioned in the original information received by the NCB,” an officer from the SIT told mid-day.

The former zonal director of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Mumbai, Wankhede, in his writ petition before the Bombay High court, has alleged that the Department Legal Advisor (DLA) Japan Babu had proposed Aryan Khan’s name under various sections of NDPS Act, but it was never submitted in the court. The SIT got a separate draft prepared from outside which was presented before the court. To substantiate his claim, Wankhede has also said that he has a recording of the call between the DLA officer Babu and him on June 2, 2022. As per Wankhede’s claim the call  lasted for 10 minutes.

“The further conversation which is most shocking, is that the said proposal seeking prosecution of the accused, though having been considered by the DLA and consent to such prosecution having been recorded on file in the form of the noting under his signature; due to certain mysterious reasons, seems to have been destroyed only with the intention of facilitating reconsideration of the case of a particular accused. Also, with the intention of extending to him the advantage and benefit of being dropped from the list of the accused to be prosecuted. The conversation records the shock and surprise of the DLA to destruction of the said note, as well as a complete changeover of the draft of the complaint to be filed before the Special Court for prosecution of the accused.” Wankhede has said in his petition.

“The conversation further discloses that the draft of the complaint was prepared by a particular officer from outside the department. The reason and motive behind having the draft of the complaint prepared from outside the department is sufficiently indicative of putting into effect, the evil design of dropping the name of a particular accused from prosecution,” the petition reads further.

The SIT officials have told mid-day there is absolutely no truth in the allegations levelled by Wankhede, and he should produce and should have informed the department about any such evidence. “The charges against Aryan Khan were not at all justified since the drugs were not found in his possession, and no blood test was done as per the SOP to book him even for the consumption case. In fact, it was proven with the evidence that Khan was framed, and his name was added in the information note received by the NCB,” an officer of the SIT added further.

The officials have said that the names which were dropped before filling the charge sheet were as per the discussions of the legal team. “Based on WhatsApp chats not related to the Cordelia cruise drug case, one cannot be charge sheeted under NDPS Act. The chats can be used as digital evidence only if they had connection with the current case,” an NCB officer said.

The officials have also said that there is going to be a deprecate enquiry against Wankhede for talking to the father Shah Rukh Khan of the accused (Aryan Khan) while he was in his custody. Wankhede has released his chats with SRK to prove that he is innocent and never demanded any extortion to release Aryan and also claimed that Shah Rukh was aware that his son was into drug abuse, that’s why he was talking about reformation and thanked Wankhede for the same.

“We were not aware about the chats Wankhede had with SRK and he never informed the department. Indulging in such conversations with the family of the accused is serious violation of the rules,” a senior officer of NCB told mid-day.

On Sunday, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) recorded Wankhede’s statement for the second consecutive day, lasting five hours at the BKC office. Wankhede currently enjoys protection from the Bombay High Court, which is set to hear the matter on Monday. The CBI is required to file a reply before the court regarding Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act. This section imposes a time limit of four months to file a case against any government officer if corruption charges have been levied against them. Rizwan Merchant, Wankhede’s lawyer, extensively argued on Friday that the FIR is illegal due to the expiration of the time limit, as it has already been two years since the arrest of Aryan Khan.

Actor Ajaz Khan, who rose to fame with his stint on Bigg Boss 7, was granted bail after spending 26 months in Arthur Road Jail. On Friday, he walked out of the prison in Mumbai. Speaking exclusively to us after his release, Khan expressed his perspective on the events leading to his arrest. “The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) detained me at the airport without any warrant. My blood test was negative; I only had a sleeping pill with me,” Khan asserted.

The actor was detained by the NCB at the Mumbai airport in connection with a drug case in 2021 and was subsequently arrested in March the same year. His name allegedly surfaced during the interrogation of drug peddler Shadab Batata.

Khan vehemently denies any involvement in the crime, stating, “There is no evidence against me in the chargesheet. They arrested me based on a concocted story.”

Currently out on bail, Khan has approached the Supreme Court seeking exoneration. He remains hopeful of receiving justice. “Justice exists in India, but it is often delayed, causing immense damage to a person’s life. I know I will get justice. I want to clear my name for my family,” says Khan, who was arrested by Sameer Wankhade, former Mumbai NCB bureau zonal director, who is currently under scrutiny by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for multiple inspections, including the controversial raid on the Cordelia cruise ship in October 2021.

Reflecting on his 26-month-long incarceration, the actor admits to have undergone a transformation: “I have learnt to survive in any condition.”

However, he acknowledges the irreversible loss of the last two years. “I have gone through so much. I lost the web series Inspector Avinash. I had Covid-19; my family was going through depression; my son is 11 now, he was nine when I left him; he goes to school; and when I was behind bars, he was going to a psychiatrist for therapy. I felt extremely lonely during festivals, my wife’s and son’s birthdays. When I entered jail, I broke down mentally, physically and emotionally,” Khan ends.

Highly  placed sources in the NCB have told mid-day that the DVR and CCTV footage of its Mumbai zonal office got corrupted the day a vigilance team arrived in the city. These sources have confirmed that the CBI will investigate the matter to determine who tampered with the CCTV footage of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Mumbai zonal office.

Sameer Wankhede, the controversial IRS officer who had arrested Aryan Khan last year, was in charge of the office. A clean chit was later granted to Khan by NCB’s SIT, which found several instances of misconduct in his arrest.

Sources within the NCB have stated that the vigilance team was established on October 25, 2021, and its Special Enquiry Team (SET)  arrived in Mumbai the same day to investigate the allegations made against Wankhede and other NCB officers by former cabinet minister Nawab Malik. On the day the vigilance team arrived in Mumbai, they requested for CCTV footage of the NCB Mumbai office to determine what had transpired on October 2, the day Aryan Khan was arrested.

An officer involved in the investigation revealed, “We wanted to check what was happening inside the office, but the CCTV footage was not available as it had become corrupt on the day we reached the NCB Mumbai office.”

Office bearers later stated that the Digital Video Recorder (DVR) had been damaged by a rat chewing on the wires, causing it to stop functioning. The vigilance report mentions that the DVR submitted to the vigilance team was different and the original was intentionally withheld from them.

It reads, “The SET collected the NCB office's CCTV equipment to verify the facts; however, it was discovered that it had become corrupted. The DVR and the hard disk provided by the NCB Mumbai office were different. The actions of the Zone suggest that the CCTV footage contained something important, and it was intentionally not provided to the SET.”

Wankhede was questioned about the CCTV footage, but he claimed to have no knowledge of it as his personal assistant was responsible for its maintenance. The CBI, which is currently investigating the case of corruption and extortion, will look into how the CCTV footage became corrupted the day the NCB vigilance team arrived in Mumbai.

Similarly, the SET formed by the Mumbai police also discovered several lapses in the investigation of Aryan Khan. The SET found that during the panchnama of Khan's arrest, the crucial witness, late Prabhakar Sail, who was also the panch, was standing outside the Mumbai International Cruise Terminal. A source within the Mumbai police stated, “During the panchnama, the panch has to be present at the spot, but he was standing outside, and there is digital evidence.”

The Mumbai SET did not file a case as Shah Rukh Khan's manager, Pooja Dadlani, did not appear before them to provide her statement. However, whatever facts emerged before the SET were officially shared with the NCB’s vigilance team.

“The money trail was proven with CCTV footage, showing it was taken to various people and then returned when allegations were made. We could have established the further chain, if it led to the NCB officers, but the FIR was not registered since the complainant and the victims did not come forward,” revealed a senior officer involved in the probe.

Wankhede through his lawyer Rizwan Merchant has said that Mumbai Police’s SET found nothing during their investigation and the enquiry was closed.

On being asked about CCTV footage at the NCB Mumbai office going corrupt, Wankhede messaged to mid-day, “I thought you were writing today on SRK chats proving my innocence and the change of charge sheet to drop Aryan’s name. Nonetheless, not speaking to your paper. You can carry the vilification and smearing campaign against me. My best wishes.” 

Inputs from Diwakar Sharma

Mumbai: In a relief to former Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) zonal director Sameer Wankhede, a vacation bench of Bombay HC restrained the CBI from taking any “coercive action” till May 22.

Wankhede submitted before the court on Friday text messages sent to him by Shah Rukh Khan and his replies, and said that “nowhere it suggests” that a money demand was made to favour the actor’s son Aryan after his arrest following the October 2021 Cordelia cruise drug bust, reports Swati Deshpande.

Wankhede claimed Khan praised his integrity and also expressed “anguish” over “political involvement in the matter”.

The IRS officer added that it was always Shah Rukh who initiated the conversation. Wankhede also stated that one of the messages received from Shah Rukh said “if in any way, without losing your integrity as an officer of law, you can help with whatever manner possible please. I will always be indebted...”

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Mumbai: A vacation bench of Bombay HC on Friday granted former NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede relief after he gave an undertaking that he’ll remain present at the CBI office on Saturday at 11am. HC restrained CBI from taking any “coercive action” till May 22.

CBI has filed an FIR against Wankhede along with NCB officers — Ashish Ranjan and dismissed superintendent Vishwa Vijay Singh—and two private persons for allegedly seeking Rs 25-crore bribe for not implicating Aryan in the cruise drug bust case. Wankhede denied allegations of demanding money in exchange for Aryan’s release as “blatantly false”, and claimed and cited messages sent by Shah Rukh between October 3 and 15, 2021, when his son was in custody. “At no point of time has the petitioner initiated any conversation with Shah Rukh in connection with this case,” Wankhede’s plea said.

He said Aryan, during the bail hearing in HC, had denied any connection with claims against the petitioner on social media and had acknowledged that he had no allegations against anyone in the prosecution. “Aryan also confirmed that he has no connection with Prabhakar Sail,” the plea stated.

Sail was a witness in the cruise drug bust case and had filed an affidavit mentioning the money demand. He died last year.

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On October 3, 2021, SRK sent a message to Wankhede, expressing a desire to speak to him, despite acknowledging that it may be officially inappropriate and wrong. The message read, "Sameer sahib, may I speak with you for a minute, please? Regards, Shah Rukh Khan. I know this is officially inappropriate and maybe outright wrong, but once as a father, if I can speak with you, please. Love, SRK."

Wankhede subsequently spoke to SRK over the phone, and SRK sent a message expressing gratitude for the personal insights and thoughts shared during their conversation. "Can't thank you enough for all the thoughts and personal insights you gave me about my own. I will make sure that he turns out to be someone that you and I are both proud of. This incident will prove to be a turning point in his life I promise, in a good way. This country needs honest and hardworking young people to take it forward," SRK said in his message to Wankhede.

“God bless you. I have to come personally whenever you say and give a hug to you. Let me please know whenever it's convenient for you. Really I have always had the highest regard for your uprightness and now it has increased manifolds. Big respect. Love SRK," the message reads further

He further told Wankhede, "please show some kindness my man and I can only plead and beg you as father."

“Dear Shahrukh I wish I could talk to you as friend and explain you about the current situation and not as a zonal director, all the murk and unscrupulous elements are vitiating the entire atmosphere. I wanted to look towards the kids in a reformatory approach and provide an opportunity for best living and national service. But unfortunately my attempt is being maligned by the some dirty perosn and with malafide and vested interests," (SIC) Wankhede told SRK in the message.

“But my son is not part of that please. You also know that. You know his part is minuscule in it. All he needs is reformation and for that he has had his quota and I will also follow suit with what we talked in terms of making him a better person. Please man, I beg you there is nothing from my side that is participant in the vested interests. I went out of my way and without even knowing them called and begged them not to involve my child in their politics. The people here and also the person in the North. I spoke as a father to them and even chided them that they are harming my kid in their selfish interests. Please man, don't make him pay for these assholes and vested people. I beg you man please. It's a larger thing, my son and my family, I swear, play no part in it. I have even refrained from talking to anyone and even told all these foolish people not to speak on my behalf. When we speak I will tell you what I have done in my capacity not to hurt your drive to be upright. I swear man. Please I beg you," SRK responded to Wankhede.

Sameer Wankhede at the Bharat Ki Shaan award ceremony, in Bandra, in August 2022. Pic/Satej Shinde

The initial tip-off received by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Mumbai did not mention the names of Aryan Khan, the Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, and his friend Arbaaz Merchant, reveals the detailed investigation report submitted before the Delhi High Court. The probe was conducted against NCB’s former zonal (Mumbai) director Sameer Wankhede and other officers, who are accused of various misconducts in the ‘drugs-on-cruise’ case.

NCB’s Deputy Director General Gyaneshwar Singh led the special enquiry team’s (SET) investigation into the matter. Below are the findings in the vigilance report and also the details of the expenses that Wankhede has not been able to explain.

Tip-off note tampered with:  It appeared that the original information note was modified at the last moment and the names of Aryan, Arbaaz were included, while the names of some suspects were dropped. No documentation of seizure: Neither the panchnama mentioned any phones of the suspects seized nor was there a separate seizure memo. Thus, no formal documents were made for seizure of the phones. In the absence of a seizure memo, the chain of custody of the seized phone—vital evidence—was affected.

Allegation of valuables taken without documentation: Several witnesses examined by the SET stated that their and other suspects’ valuables were taken by NCB Mumbai officers without documentation. Allegation of settlement in matter of suspect Saumya Singh: The information note had her name, and despite the recovery of rolling papers from her bag, she was given a clean chit. The witnesses examined by the SET also showed her as a drug addict. She did not appear or assist in the enquiry of the SET.

The CCTV equipment of the NCB office was collected by the SET to verify the facts; however, it was found that the same has gone corrupt. The DVR and the hard disk provided by the NCB Mumbai office were different. It appears from the actions of the Zone that the CCTV footage had something important and the same was intentionally not provided to the SET.

The statements of the witnesses established that accused Aryan and Arbaaz were brought to the NCB office in a private vehicle of K P Gosavi instead of an office car. The audio recording of Aryan circulated by Gosavi is again a procedural lapse.

The vigilance report also highlights misconduct and violations of Central Civil Services Rules by Wankhede. According to the report, Wankhede’s average annual income as per the ITR was about Rs 15.75 lakh (salary and rent), his wife Kranti’s about Rs 7 lakh (business) and father’s (pension and rent) about Rs 3.45 lakh. The expenses of the declared private visits have been apparently under-reported by Wankhede.

In a span of about five years, from 2017 to 2021, he and his family made six private foreign visits to countries like UK, Ireland, Portugal, South Africa and the Maldives, spanning over 55 days of foreign stay, with a declared amount of only Rs. 8.75 lakh, which can barely cover the cost of air travels, the report noted.

In all the visits, expenditure incurred onwards travelling, lodging, boarding, VISA, miscellaneous expenses declared by him is between Rs. 1 lakh and Rs. 2.5 lakh, which is clearly incorrect declaration/under-reporting. Dubious transactions of Wankhede came to light with respect to his Maldives trip in July 2021.

The report states that various details, like the mode of travel, hotel booking, payment, etc., are unclear for his last trip to the Maldives. The question that arises from the lack of information is whether hospitality was accepted from any foreign source. If so, had Wankhede obtained necessary permission under the provisions of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act/Rules from the Union home ministry, the report added.

The vigilance report also states that the payment of Rs 9,03,055 in cash by Wankhede’s friend Viral Jamaluddin to JD’s Partner for hotel booking raises doubt about unaccounted money laundering. The 19-day long visit to London for tourism cannot be justified with a declared expense of Rs 1 lakh, it added.

Wankhede purchased a Rolex Gold watch worth Rs 22,05,000 for Rs 17,40,000 on credit from Viral. There are multiple invoices/quotes of Rolex watches. The report further mentioned a “dubious transaction” of Rs 7,40,000 through cheque for four watches that were sold by Wankhede to Viral. The cheque was issued in the name of Kranti Redkar. It is also pertinent to raise the doubt that as to how Wankhede got the payment immediately for the sold watches (unknown buyers) and how he gets the facility of credit for the purchase of a new watch worth Rs. 22 lakh, the report stated.

In respect to disproportionate asset enquiry against Wankhede, the SET found that Wankhede owns four flats in Mumbai and 4,16,88-acre land in Washim. He claimed to have spent Rs 82,87,399 on a fifth flat in Goregaon valued at Rs 2,45,49,918. Wankhede has said that his wife Kranti had invested Rs 1.25 crore in their flat before their wedding on February 8, 2017. But the SET could not verify it, as they have not furnished the ITR of financial year 2016-17.

Meanwhile, Wankhede has moved an application before the Delhi High Court, seeking relief, stating that he has answered every question with facts. He has sought to register a cross FIR against his senior officer Gyaneshwar Singh, claiming he has been framed.

Wankhede has also submitted along with his petition copies of his WhatsApp chats with senior officers wherein he informed them of every move during the raid on the Cordelia ship and the subsequent arrest of Aryan. “We were not aware of what he and some members of his team were doing behind the curtain. The facts were revealed during the vigilance enquiry and action was initiated against him,” a senior NCB officer told mid-day.

Mumbai: Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan and his friend Arbaaz Merchant were named as accused in the October 2021 Cordelia cruise drug bust case at the last moment by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB)-Mumbai, then headed by Sameer Wankhede, said an affidavit filed by IPS officer Gnyaneshwar Singh who had supervised the probe. According to the affidavit, the original case information note was modified and the two names were included, while names of some other suspects were dropped.

Wankhede failed to appear before the CBI on Thursday for recording his statement in the corruption case. Later, he told TOI that “Singh furnished a fabricated report...and CAT had given a stay on the report”.

Referring to a series of lapses, the affidavit said that they were proof the probe was compromised to give “an opportunity” to K P Gosavi—a witness in the drug bust case who has now been accused by CBI of extortion.

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Mumbai: An affidavit filed by IPS officer Gnyaneshwar Singh, who had supervised the NCB probe in the October 2021 cruise drug bust case, has raised questions on the release of two suspects. It pointed out the release of Saumya Singh by the NCB despite recovery of rolling paper in her bag during the raid. She was in the same room as arrested accused, model Munmun Dhamecha. “Allegation of settlement in the release of the suspect,” the affidavit said.

Another suspect Siddarth Shah, who had admitted to having supplied charas to Arbaaz Merchant, was allowed to go. NCB had claimed to have recovered 6gm of charas from Merchant.

Wankhede told TOI on Thursday: “The CBI has registered a case based on the inquiry report though the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and CAT had given stay on Singh’s report. I had justified all my spending and provided all sources of income, including parental income. Five of my flats were purchased before I came into service. I had never purchased any watch. Singh furnished a fabricated report.”

Singh’s affidavit said the series of lapses in the custody of actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan is proof of the fact that it was compromised in an intentional manner to give “an opportunity” to K P Gosavi, a witness in the drug bust case and now an accused in the CBI case.

Gosavi has been accused of demanding Rs 25 crores from Shah Rukh and collecting Rs 50 lakhs to favour Aryan in the case. The audio recording of Aryan circulated by Gosavi is again a procedural lapse. A selfie of Gosavi along with Aryan, hours after the raid, had gone viral.

The affidavit also mentioned about the tampering of the recording devices at NCB office. “The CCTV equipment of the NCB office was collected by the Special Enquiry Team (SET). . . However, it was found that the same has gone corrupt. The DVR and hard disc provided by office of NCB Mumbai were different. It appears from the actions of the zone that CCTV footage did have something important and...was not provided to the SET,” it added.

The affidavit also speaks about NCB officers taking valuables during the raid without documentation. One officer was repatriated for theft of an Apple watch from an accused. It stated that during the raid, neither the phones of suspects were seized with panchanama nor there was a separate seizure memo. Thus, no formal documents were made for seizure of phones.

Singh had filed the affidavit after Wankhede moved the CAT opposing the inquiry against him. These observations were also part of the findings of the SET set up by NCB.

Model Munmun Dhamecha, an accused in the Cordelia cruise drugs case who was arrested along with Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan’s son, has levelled serious allegations against Sameer Wankhede, the controversial former zonal director of NCB (Narcotics Control Bureau). Dhamecha has finally broken her silence and spoken exclusively to mid-day. Dhamecha has claimed that Wankhede framed her due to her profession as a model, with the intention of attracting media attention.

Model Munmun Dhamecha, an accused in the Cordelia cruise drugs case who was arrested along with Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan’s son, has levelled serious allegations against Sameer Wankhede, the controversial former zonal director of NCB. Dhamecha has finally broken her silence and spoken exclusively to mid-day. Dhamecha has claimed that Wankhede framed her due to her profession as a model, with the intention of attracting media attention.

Recounting her experience of being arrested on the Cordelia cruise, Dhamecha stated, “I am a relatively unknown model and had received an invitation to attend the cruise. Upon arrival, a room was allocated to me. Subsequently, NCB officials conducted a raid on the cruise and discovered drugs in the room assigned to me, not in my personal possession. There were two other individuals present, Saumya Singh and a person named Baldev. Singh was released after a conversation with NCB official V V Singh, and I am unaware of the details of their interaction. Interestingly, drugs were also found in Singh’s possession, yet she was let go.”

Continuing her account, Dhamecha added, “Initially, Wankhede assured me that there was nothing to worry about, as nothing incriminating was found on me, and they would complete the necessary formalities before allowing me to leave. However, as soon as he discovered that I am a model, he proceeded to arrest me. Later, I was presented in court, and they didn’t even allow me to speak with my family.”

Furthermore, she was coerced into changing her lawyer and compelled to select one recommended by Wankhede and his team. These allegations against Wankhede and his team are not unprecedented, as similar claims have been made in the past, accusing them of pressuring the accused to choose a lawyer favoured by NCB.

“Wankhede and his officers later advised me to contact a lawyer of their recommendation. However, I said I wanted to hire my own lawyer. Despite that, Wankhede and his officer V V Singh insisted that I choose the lawyer they suggested. Wankhede called me into his office and politely mentioned that these lawyers were skilled in handling such cases and assured me I would be granted bail soon if I chose the lawyer he suggested. Initially, I considered his assistance genuine, but eventually, I decided to proceed with my own lawyer, which led to further harassment,” Damecha said.

Furthermore, Dhamecha said, “Wankhede also mentioned that he was helping me due to my loss of a mother, as he had also lost his mother a few years ago. He tried to establish an emotional connection.” 

Dhamecha said she was approached by an NCB officer who informed her about the existence of a list outlining how much money should be extracted from each accused. In her case, no specific demand was made and Wankhede’s intention seemed to be centered on garnering media attention.

“Munmun Dhamecha was illegally arrested, just like Aryan Khan, and there never existed any drugs or their possession with them. Sameer Wankhede’s strategy was to file false cases against celebrities and later extort huge sums of money from them, along with cheap publicity. The office cabin of the controversial officer is covered with media articles in lamination form, which proves his obsession with celebrities and the media,” said Advocate Ali Kashif Khan Deshmukh, representing Dhamecha. 

“Another strategy of Wankhede was to force arrested accused to keep selected lawyers only who would not speak against NCB in court, or else they would make the case against them even stronger, leading to their bail being rejected,” Khan added.

“My client was also threatened and warned with the same since the beginning to change the lawyer [myself] as I was speaking and exposing the NCB in the courts, but she remained strong and adamant on her part, which eventually gave her fruitful results,” Khan further added.

“We have filed a discharge application before the special NDPS court against the said bogus case. There is not a single incriminating evidence against Munmun in their own charge sheet. The next date in court is 25th May, when NCB is supposed to file its reply,” Khan said.

Replying to the allegations made by Dhamecha and her lawyer, Wankhede said, “The events leading to the actions taken by NCB were the subject matter of an SET constituted for this purpose, and the report of which is before the competent court. Since the matter is sub judice before the competent court, I strictly refrain from commenting on any such issue. It is better to exercise caution when publishing such stories while the matter is sub judice.”

Dhamecha was charged by NCB’s SIT, and according to the charge sheet, she provided a voluntary statement admitting to smoking charas as a means to cope with depression resulting from family issues. In her statement, she mentioned that she, along with her friends Saumya and Baldev Raj, booked a party ticket on the Cordelia Cruise and checked into Cabin No. 9174 on October 2, 2021. Dhamecha disclosed that she had purchased 5 grams of Charas in Goa for personal consumption from a friend.

She further revealed that when the NCB team identified themselves and said they wanted to search the cabin, she panicked and threw the 5 grams of charas from the right pocket of her pants onto the corner table. She stated that she did this out of fear. She informed investigators that the same charas were later found, sealed, and seized by the NCB team in her presence. Subsequently, her statements were recorded multiple times by the SIT, and she was charged accordingly in the charge sheet.

Mumbai: The CBI probing allegations of corruption against Indian Revenue Service officer Sameer Wankhede in the Cordelia drug bust case has said in the FIR that the names of suspects were inexplicably reduced from 27 to 10 by the investigators.

The CBI has raised suspicion over the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) preparing an internal “information note” in which “names of certain other accused” were later included “through modification to suit the proceedings”. The initial note had 27 names but subsequently after modification it was reduced to 10, the FIR said.

Questioning the allegedly arbitrary nature of the probe, the agency has also pointed out that the man who supplied drugs to a friend of actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan was not arrested despite him confessing to his role. The FIR said Wankhede and his team did not arrest Siddharth Shah, who admitted to supplying narcotics to Aryan’s friend Arbaaz Merchant. NCB had claimed to have recovered six grams of charas from Merchant during the raid.

The FIR said Wankhede had also made foreign trips and indulged in sale and purchase of expensive wrist watches through a private individual, Viral Rajan, without intimating the department.

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Mumbai: The CBI’s FIR in it probe into allegations of corruption against IRS officer Sameer Wankhede in the Cordelia drug bust in 2021 suggests that the officer was living far beyond his known sources of income, seeking to link his wealth with his “dishonest” handling of the cruise liner case. Wankhede was western region head of NCB when he raided the cruise liner and arrested Aryan Khan and others in the drug case.

The FIR was based on a report by an NCB Special Enquiry Team (SET), which conducted an inquiry into allegations of “improper dishonest performance of duty by Wankhede and other officials. . . who obtained undue advantage from the persons/suspects in the cruise case”.

The report had said, “Further enquiries have also been done in the matters of allegations of criminal misconduct and corrupt practices of Sameer Wankhede and Ashish Ranjan independently, which could not sufficiently justify their acquired assets as per their declared income.”

The NCB also found that Wankhede had not adequately explained his foreign visits and had apparently misdeclared expenditure on his foreign travels.

On Thursday, the CBI filed a case of corruption against Wankhede, intelligence officer Ranjan, dismissed superintendent Vishwa Vijay Singh, two private persons Kiran Gosavi and Sanvile D’Souza, also known as Sam D’Souza, for allegedly collecting Rs. 50 lakhs out of the total Rs. 25 crores demanded from Shah Rukh Khan in the light of the drug case involving his son Aryan.

The CBI said the suspects in the drug bust case were brought from the cruise liner to the NCB office in Gosavi’s private vehicle. “It appeared that presence of the independent witness around the accused persons was. . . intentionally in such a manner so as to give an impression that Gosavi was an NCB personnel though there were NCB personnel to handle the custody of the accused persons,” the FIR said.

“Gosavi was allowed to be present in the company of accused persons and allowed to come to NCB office after the raid which is against the norms for an independent witness.”

The FIR said Wankhede, in the capacity of immediate supervisory officer, had directed that Gosavi and Prabhakar Sail be taken as independent witnesses in the proceedings and that Vishwa Vijay Singh allow Gosavi to “handle the accused while taking him to NCB office”, thereby allowing Gosavi and others to create a visual impression of escorting/dragging Aryan Khan towards the NCB Mumbai office.

The CBI has searched the premises of the accused officers and their alleged accomplices and collected digital and documentary evidence for examination. CBI has added charges of extortion and criminal conspiracy besides sections under the Prevention of Corruption Act in the case.

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The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) FIR against Sameer Wankhede says that the NCBs vigilance report found that his assets do not justify his acquired asset.

”Further inquiries have also been done in the matters of allegations of criminal misconduct & corrupt practices of Sameer Wankhede and Ashish Ranjan independently, which could not sufficiently justify their acquired assets as per their declared income.” The FIR reads.

The FIR further states that he was not able to explain his foreign visits and expensive watches. ”It has also come to the notice of the Vigilance Branch of NCB that Wankhede has not properly explained his foreign visits and had apparently mis-declared the expenditure on his foreign travels. He has also not declared the source of his foreign visits properly.”

“It was also found that Sameer Wankhede has indulged himself in the sale and purchase of expensive wristwatches with a private entity, Viral Rajan, without intimating the department (present or parent).” The FIR reads further.

In the FIR it was also revealed that Wankhede gave free hand to panch witnesses K P Gosavi to create an image that he is an NCB official and he took a selfie and recorded Aryan Khan's voice to extort money which was initially Rs. 25 crores and later it was settled for Rs. 18 crores of which Rs. 50 lakhs was taken by Gosavi but it was later returned.

“The inquiry conducted by SET has further revealed that the accused persons were brought to the NCB office in a private vehicle of the independent witness K P Gosavi. It appeared that the presence of the independent witness K P Gosavi around accused persons was created intentionally in such a manner so as to give an impression that K P Gosavi was an NCB personnel even though there was NCB personnel to handle the custody of the accused persons.” The FIR says. 

According to CBI, the independent witness K P Gosavi was allowed to be present in the company of accused persons and even allowed to come to the NCB office after the raid which is against the norms for an independent witness. In this manner, K P Gosavi took the freedom and-clicked selfies and recorded the voice note of an accused.

The FIR further added, was this position that allowed K P Gosavi and his aide Sanvile D'Souza amongst others to enter into the conspiracy to extort an amount of Rs. 25 crores from the family members of the alleged 'accused', Aryan Khan by threatening them of the accusation of offences of possession of Narcotics substances. This amount was finally settled for Rs.18 crores. A token amount of Rs. 50 lakhs, bribe money was also taken by K P Gosavi and his aide Sanvile D'Souza but later a part of the bribe money was returned back by them.

“Sameer Wankhede, 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 K P Gosavi handle the accused while taking him to NCB Office thereby allowing freehand to K P Gosavi and others in order to create such a visual impression of KP Gosavi having the custody of the accused and escorting/dragging him towards NCB Mumbai office,” says the CBI FIR against Wankhede.

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The FIR filed by the CBI against Sameer Wankhede says the NCB’s vigilance report found that his assets do not justify his declared income. The investigating agency has summoned Wankhede to its headquarters in New Delhi for further questioning on  May 18.

According to the CBI’s First Information Report (FIR), independently conducted inquiries into the allegations of criminal misconduct and corruption by Sameer Wankhede and Ashish Ranjan Prasad could not sufficiently justify their acquired assets as per their declared income. The CBI has summoned Wankhede to its headquarters in New Delhi for questioning on Thursday (May 18).

The CBI registered an FIR against former NCB Mumbai Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede, then superintendent Vishwa Vijay Singh, then NCB intelligence officer Ashish Ranjan Prasad, K P Gosavi, Sanvile D’souza and other unknown persons on May 11 under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The complaint in the case was filed by the superintendent of the vigilance department at the NCB headquarters.

The FIR states that Wankhede was not able to justify his foreign visits and expensive watches. “Wankhede has not properly explained his foreign visits and apparently mis-declared the expenditure of his foreign travels. He has also not declared the source of his foreign visits properly,” the FIR reads. The FIR further mentions that Wankhede indulged in the sale and purchase of expensive wristwatches with a private entity—Viral Rajan—without intimating the department.

However, a major part of the FIR deals with the alleged improper investigation and alleged extortion by Wankhede, in connivance with NCB officials and private persons. The CBI alleged that the accused, at the directions of Wankhede, had extorted an amount of around Rs. 25 crores from the family members of those accused in the Aryan Khan drugs case by threatening to charge them with possession of narcotic substances.

The FIR mentions that many other persons—except for the 10 accused including Aryan Khan and Arbaaz Merchant—whose names were available with NCB officials as suspected persons, were not documented. A few persons who were suspects were even allowed to leave without any documentation being done.

The FIR mentions that a person named Siddharth Shah was let off by NCB officials despite there being evidence against him. “Shah who had allegedly supplied charas to Arbaaz Merchant was also allowed to walk free by NCB Mumbai officials despite admitting to selling charas to Merchant and incriminating chats that showed he himself was consuming drugs. The investigation also revealed that the names of certain suspects were dropped from the first information note (I-note) and the names of certain other accused were included subsequently through modification to suit the proceeding,” the FIR said. The initial I-note contained 27 names while the modified one contained only 10 names.

The accused nabbed in the Cordelia Cruise case were brought to the NCB office in a private vehicle belonging to K P Gosavi—a private person and independent witness in the case. The presence of Gosavi, despite the presence of other NCB personnel to handle the accused, created an impression that he was an NCB officer. Gosavi was allowed to be with the accused and also allowed into the NCB office after the raid which is against the norms for an independent witness.

“Gosavi clicked selfies and recorded voice notes of an accused,” the FIR reads. According to the report, Wankhede had directed that Gosavi and Prabhakar Sail be taken along as witnesses in the proceedings. He allegedly directed Vishwa Vijay Singh to let Gosavi handle the accused in order to create an impression that he has their custody.

Mumbai: The CBI has registered a case of corruption against Indian Revenue Service officer Sameer Wankhede and four others for allegedly collecting Rs 50 lakh from actor Shah Rukh Khan in the October 2021 Cordelia drug case involving his son Aryan Khan.

Wankhede and the others are accused of demanding a total sum of Rs 25 crore from the actor to get his son cleared of charges of drug possession. The CBI has searched 29 locations in Mumbai, Delhi, Ranchi, Lucknow and Chennai, including Wankhede’s home in Goregaon west. Wankhede called it vindictive action as he had filed a complaint of harassment against a senior NCB officer.

He said, “I am a disciplined official of government of India. I will fight the legal battle and have complete faith in judiciary.”

Wankhede was western region head of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and headed the probe into the case against Aryan Khan. The other accused in the case include intelligence officer Ashish Ranjan, dismissed superintendent Vishwa Vijay Singh, and two individuals —Kiran Gosavi and Sanvile D’Souza also known as Sam D’Souza—who were being used as witnesses or informers. Singh and Ranjan were part of the probe team.

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Mumbai: Former NCB western region chief Sameer Wankhede, intelligence officer Ashish Ranjan, dismissed superintendent Vishwa Vijay Singh, and two individuals, Kiran Gosavi and Sanvile D’Souza have been booked by CBI in an extortion case involving Shan Rukh Khan.

Singh was dismissed on Tuesday for misconduct in another case in which he was under suspension. Ranjan was also suspended for allegedly not presenting a strong case before a court hearing a bail plea of an accused in another drug case. Gosavi was a panch witness in the drug case. Gosavi, according to his bodyguard Prabhakar Sail, had discussed Rs 25 crores demand with Sam D’Souza over phone. This conversation also had a reference to a payment of Rs 8 crores to Wankhede, who had denied the allegations.

On October 2, 2021, the NCB conducted a raid on a cruise ship called Cordelia after receiving a tip-off that drugs were being consumed in a party on board. Several people, including Aryan Khan, were arrested in the case in subsequent days. However, allegations by NCP leader Nawab Malik that the NCB officers were using fake witnesses and flimsy evidence to carry out high profile arrests on charges of drug possession put the spotlight on some of the cases. A Special Investigation Team was set up to probe them. A selfie of the witness Gosavi with Aryan Khan in side the NCB office went viral raising questions about the credibility of the NCB action.

The NCB’s SIT in a subsequent probe had said that it appeared that the investigating officer was motivated to somehow implicate Aryan Khan in the drugs case. “It is strange to note that in spite of clear-cut denial by Arbaaz (Merchant), regarding involvement of Aryan in the procurement and possession of drugs from him, the investigating officer started looking at WhatsApp chats of Aryan without even formally seizing the mobile phone of Aryan,” the report said. NCB had claimed to have recovered six gm charas from Merchant, who was described by the agency as Aryan's friend.

CBI on Friday said Wankhede and the others “had entered into criminal conspiracy” and “allegedly obtained undue advantage in the form of bribes” from Aryan Khan and others...

“It has also been alleged that the said persons entered into conspiracy in order to extort an amount of Rs 25 crores (approx) from the family members of the alleged accused by threatening them” with charges of “possession of Narcotics Substances asper the alleged directions of then Zonal Director being the Supervisory Officer. A token amount of Rs 50 lakh as bribe was allegedly obtained in furtherance of this conspiracy by the said persons”.

Gosavi’s private bodyguard Prabhakar Sail (who died last April) in an affidavit filed in the court soon after the raid had levelled serious charges of a huge payoff to Gosavi, a mysterious meeting between Gosavi and Shah Rukh Khan’s manager Pooja Dadlani a few hours after the raid on Cruise and also alleged threat to his life.

Sail said he was instructed by Gosavi to come to the NCB office on October 2, (the raid happened late in the night). Sail’s affidavit mentions Gosavi meeting with NCB officials and seeing Khan in one of the cabins of the cruise liner. The city police had set up a SIT to probe a case of extortion but could not arrive at any conclusion as Dadlani failed to turn up despite being issued several summons.

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The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has booked former NCB officer Sameer Wankhede and many others on charges of corruption and extortion in connection with the Cordelia cruise drugs case that had to the arrest of Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan.

Wankhede was the Narcotics Control Bureau’s (NCB) zonal director, Mumbai, at the time and probed the case. Among others booked are the then superintendent Vishwa Vijay Singh, Ashish Ranjan (the then intelligence officer of Mumbai zonal unit, NCB), K P Gosavi (a private person whose selfie with Aryan following latter’s arrest went viral), Sanvile D’Souza (a private person).

The CBI alleged that the accused extorted an amount of about Rs 25 crores from the family members of the alleged accused by threatening them with the accusation of offenses of possession of narcotics substances as per the alleged directions of Wankhede.

“My father has been saying this since day one, and now the CBI has confirmed it after years of investigation. Those who denied the truth of my father’s allegations should be held accountable,” said Nilofer Malik, daughter of NCP leader Nawab Malik, after the CBI booked Wankhede.

Malik had alleged Wankhede extorted money in all his cases and highlighted the gross violation in the case of Aryan Khan. “Some people believe that truth can be obscured with a little cover-up and decoration. However, as time passes, the truth will eventually come to light, while falsehoods fade away,” she added.