New Delhi: Senior Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer Sameer Wankhede, a former Mumbai Zonal director of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), has been booked by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on charges of corruption. Wankhede, who led the investigation into Cordelia Cruise ship drug abuse case involving Aryan Khan, son of Shah Rukh Khan, has been accused of demanding a bribe of Rs 25 crore in order to 'resolve the case.'
Besides Wankhede, two other NCB officers — Superintendent of Police (SP) Vishwa Vijay Singh and Ashish Ranjan — along with independent witness Kiran Gosavi, who was also present at the raid, were named in the FIR. Following a thorough investigation conducted by the Vigilance unit of the NCB, a case was registered against the officers. The unit subsequently submitted a report to the authorities for further action to be taken.
During a raid on Cordelia cruise ship at the International Cruise Terminal at Green Gate, Mumbai on October 2, 2021, Wankhede and his team confiscated several illegal substances and cash. The items seized included 13 grams of cocaine, five grams of mephedrone, 21 grams of marijuana, 22 pills of MDMA (ecstasy), and Rs 1.33 lakh in cash. Fourteen individuals including Aryan Khan were arrested.
Prabhakar Sail, a witness aboard the cruise ship, alleged that the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) demanded a sum of Rs 25 crore to release Aryan Khan. In response to this accusation, a five-member vigilance probe team led by Deputy Director General Gyaneshwar Singh traveled to Mumbai to initiate an internal inquiry. During their visit, the team collected relevant documents and recordings from the NCB office located at Ballard Estate in south Mumbai.
In May last year, the NCB exonerated Aryan Khan from all charges, marking the end of an eight-month period since his arrest for alleged involvement in procuring and consuming drugs during a rave party held on the cruise ship.
Wankhede has been charged under multiple sections including Section 7, 7A, and 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, as well as Sections 120 B (Criminal Conspiracy) and 388 (Extortion by Threat) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). /BI/
