Controversial Narcotics Control Bureau officer Sameer Wankhede has reportedly been removed from the case related to the arrest of Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan.
A report by NDTV said that the investigation would be taken over by Special Investigations Team or the SIT, to be headed by senior IPS officer Sanjay Singh. Singh would also head the investigation on the arrest of four others, who were taken into custody along with Aryan Khan.
Wankhede has been facing serious allegations of extortion in exchange of settling Aryan Khan’s case. An NCB witness, Prabhakar Sail, had alleged in an affidavit that Wankhede was meant to be paid Rs. 8 crore.
Days later, one Sam D’Souza confirmed the claim before the Bombay High Court stating that he had indeed taken Rs. 50 lakh from Shah Rukh Khan’s manager, Pooja Dadlani. Sail worked as a personal bodyguard of Kiran Gosavi, whose selfie with Aryan Khan had gone viral.
Maharashtra Minister Nawab Malik has been relentlessly exposing Wankhede accusing him of forging his birth certificate to avail reservation in the UPSC exams. According to Malik, the NCB officer was born as a Muslim but he claimed redervation, meant for SC/ST candidates.
Wankhede had approached the Bombay High Court fearing arrest by the Maharashtra Police, which said that the NCB officer would be given 72 hours of notice in the event of his arrest.
According to reports, Wankhede is also facing an investigation for his disproportionate assets after Nawab Malik questioned the former’s ability to afford an expensive wardrobe and accessories.
Malik had claimed that Wankhede wore a trouser worth Rs. 1 lakh, a shirt worth Rs. 70,000 and watches worth Rs. 25 lakh to Rs. 50 lakh.
Responding to the charges, Wankhede’s sister had said that those expensive watches were gifted to her brother by their mother 17 years ago. She was quoted by news agency PTI as saying, “My brother saves money the whole year to do shopping one day…he wears these clothes for entire year. He makes a list of what he wants and then goes for shopping.”
