Sameer Wankhede arrives at CBI office in Mumbai for 2nd day of questioning

Former Zonal Director of NCB Mumbai, Sameer Wankhede arrived at the CBI office in Mumbai on Sunday morning for questioning of the second day in connection with a case related to Aryan Khan's drugs on the cruise case.

Sameer Wankhede was questioned by the CBI and the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) for over five hours on Saturday in connection with the same case. Wankhede is accused of demanding a bribe of Rs 25 crore from Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan to protect his son, Aryan, from implication in the Cordelia cruise 'drug bust' case.

This was Wankhede's first appearance before the CBI after the case was registered against him. On Friday, the Bombay High Court provided relief to Wankhede by directing the CBI not to take any coercive action against him until May 22.

Arriving at the CBI office at BKC in the morning, Wankhede greeted the media waiting outside with the words "Satyamev Jayate." He left in the evening after a lunch break, continuing the investigation.

The CBI filed a case against Wankhede and four others on May 11, based on a complaint by the NCB, alleging criminal conspiracy, extortion threats, and bribery under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The NCB Vigilance SET had raised concerns about lapses and irregularities in the Cordelia cruise ship operation, which was under Wankhede's supervision.

Wankhede argued before the High Court that the initial "draft complaint" in the 2021 drugs-on-cruise case listed Aryan Khan as an accused but was later modified, dropping Aryan's name.

The CBI alleged that NCB officers conspired to receive bribes from the accused in order to avoid their arrest in the Cordelia cruise drug case. Aryan Khan was arrested by the NCB in October 2021 in connection with the alleged drug seizure on the cruise ship. He was granted bail three weeks later due to the NCB's failure to substantiate its charges.

In an affidavit, NCB Deputy Director General IPS Gyanendra Singh, who supervised the probe against Wankhede, stated that the information note was modified by the NCB Mumbai at the last moment, with Aryan Khan and his friend Arbaaz Merchant being named as accused by a team led by Sameer Wankhede.