Mumbai: Sameer Wankhede appears before CBI in bribery case

Former NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede appeared before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) here for questioning in a case in which he is accused of demanding Rs 25 crore bribe from superstar Shah Rukh Khan for not implicating his son Aryan in the Cordelia cruise drug bust case, an official said.

Wankhede reached the CBI office in Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) around 10.15 am, he said. Talking to media persons while entering the agency office, he just said Satyamev Jayate (truth alone triumphs).

The CBI had summoned the former Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) official for questioning on Thursday in connection with the case, but he did not appear that day. The central agency booked Wankhede and four others on May 11 for alleged criminal conspiracy and threat of extortion, besides under provisions pertaining to bribery under the Prevention of Corruption Act on a complaint by the NCB.

Aryan Khan was arrested by the NCB on October 3, 2021, following the alleged drug seizure on board the Cordelia cruise ship here. He was granted bail by the high court three weeks later as the anti-drugs agency failed to substantiate its charges against him.