In an affidavit filed before the Bombay High Court, former NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede stated that the Special Enquiry Team (SET) of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) intended to give a clean chit to Aryan Khan, son of actor Shah Rukh Khan, in the cruise ship drug case. Wankhede claimed that the SET's report aimed to create doubts about the investigation initially monitored by him.
Wankhede filed the affidavit to support his plea seeking the quashing of the First Information Report (FIR) filed against him by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in a bribery case. The drug case against Aryan Khan had been initiated by the Mumbai unit of the NCB, led by Wankhede, after a search-seizure operation on the Mumbai-Goa cruise on October 2, 2021, which resulted in 20 arrests, including Aryan Khan. Khan was later granted bail on October 28, 2021, and cleared of charges on May 27, 2022.
The investigation was later transferred to the SET, while the CBI registered an FIR against Wankhede for allegedly demanding a bribe of ₹25 crore from Shah Rukh Khan to avoid implicating his son Aryan Khan in the Cordelia cruise ship drugs case. Wankhede was booked under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal Code.
Wankhede claimed that the SET twisted facts to harass honest officials and create doubts about the investigation. He stated that the SET's report was based on incorrect information and false allegations, intended to jeopardize the career and character of honest officials. He further refuted allegations that he received expensive accessories and foreign trips as gratification for not registering drug abuse cases.
Wankhede also mentioned a 10-minute audio recording, which he relied on to assert that a draft complaint prepared by the NCB's legal advisor was changed to benefit Aryan Khan and other suspects in the case.
It is important to note that the version presented above is based on the provided paragraph and should be treated as a summary of the situation. The information is derived solely from the statements made in the affidavit filed by Sameer Wankhede and does not reflect the veracity of the claims or any legal conclusions.
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