Former Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) zonal director, Sameer Wankhede, cannot use his purported chats with Shah Rukh Khan as evidence of his ‘integrity’ as they violated the conduct rules, according to an affidavit filed by the narcotics probe agency in the Bombay High court. The anti-drug agency said Wankhede continued the conversation with the actor in secrecy, without informing his superiors.
Wankhede had no reason to continue such chats with the actor, whose son was involved in the Cordelia cruise ‘drug bust’ case, the federal agency noted. It further said that it appears now the suspended officer also made “many” calls to the actor, according to a report by Hindustan Times.
Wankhede is facing a Central Bureau of Investigation probe in the alleged Rs 25 Crore bribery case in the drugs-on-cruise case involving Khan’s son Aryan Khan. He had interim relief from arrest from the Bombay high court till today.
In an affidavit filed in the Bombay high court last month, the now-suspended Indian Revenue Service officer has shared his ‘chats’ with the actor to counter the allegations of extortion and claimed Khan had praised his integrity in the conversation.
Earlier, Wankhede’s lawyer alleged that Aryan Khan and his father Shah Rukh Khan already informed the court that there is no case of extortion of Rs 25 crore.
On June 17, NCB filed a 92-page affidavit rebutting their former officers’ claim.
“With respect to the chats between Wankhede and the father of an accused (Shah Rukh Khan), it is submitted that the same cannot be said to any evidence regarding Wankhede’s integrity when the same has been kept in secret by him,” HT reported quoting the NCB’s affidavit.
“Wankhede did not disclose the same (chats) to the SET (special enquiry team) or otherwise,” the document said.
The probe agency said that there was no reason for Wankhede to have continued such chats with Shah Rukh Khan without informing his superior officers, adding that the conversation will be evaluated by CBI, which is investigating the extortion case.
NCB reportedly also noted that it appears Wankhede has on many occasions made calls to Shah Rukh Khan. “It cannot be said what transpired in those calls,” the document added.
The federal agency’s affidavit also mentioned that Wankhede, despite moving out of NCB, was in “regular touch” with a deputy legal advisor in an effort to “manipulate the outcome” of Aryan Khan’s case and “extract sensitive information”.
The extortion case against Wankhede is linked to the arrest of Aryan Khan on October 3, 2021. He was eventually granted bail after 25 days.
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