Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Mumbai Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede, who is facing allegations of forging documents for job, bribery, extortion and an ‘expensive’ lifestyle, has been removed as the lead investigator in the drugs seizure case, in which superstar Shah Rukh Khan‘s son Aryan is an accused.
CNN-News18 reported that an order taking Wankhede off the probe has already been issued and that four other high-profile cases will be transferred from the anti-drug agency’s Mumbai zonal unit to its central team.
The action has been taken on "administrative grounds", and as these six have "wider and inter-state ramifications", they have been transferred to the operations unit in Delhi, NCB Deputy Director General (north-west region) Mutha Ashok Jain told PTI. He said the order for transfer of cases has been issued by NCB Director General (DG) S.N. Pradhan.
Wankhede, however, refuted reports that he has been removed from investigation in the case. He said the new move is about coordination between NCB teams of Mumbai and Delhi
The NCB had arrested actor Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan and at least 19 others in the drugs on cruise case on the intervening night of October 2-3.
Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik has been making a series of allegations against Wankhede, from forging documents to get a government job to lying about his religion to carrying out "bogus" drug raids. The IRS officer has denied all the allegations.
Malik has alleged that Wankhede forged his caste certificate and other documents to secure a job as IRS officer under the SC quota after clearing the UPSC examination. He also said Wankhede is a Muslim by birth.
The NCB has ordered a vigilance inquiry into allegations made by a witness in the case of an extortion bid of Rs 25 crore by some agency officials, including Wankhede, and others for letting off Khan.
Stepping up his attack on Wankhede, Malik had also accused him of extorting crores and wearing "expensive" clothes beyond the reach of an honest and upright officer. Malik claimed the officer wore a trouser worth Rs 1 lakh, a shirt costing over Rs 70,000 and watches worth Rs 25 lakh to 50 lakh.
