Aryan Khan Drugs Case: Sameer Wankhede Arrives At CBI Office

Former NCB officer Sameer Wankhede on Saturday arrived at the CBI Office in Mumbai for questioning in connection with a case related to Aryan Khan in the Cordelia cruise drug bust case.

"Satyameva Jayate", he said as he left his residence. The development comes a day after the Bombay High Court directed the CBI not to take any "coercive action", such as arrest, against Wankhede who is accused of demanding Rs 25 crore bribe from actor Shah Rukh Khan for not implicating his son Aryan in a drugs case.

A vacation bench of Justices Sharmila Deshmukh and Arif Doctor passed the order after recording Wankhede's undertaking that he will remain present at the CBI's office in BKC area at 11 am on May 20.

"Petitioner who is present in court undertakes that he will attend the office of CBI at BKC tomorrow at 11 am. Considering that contentions under section 17A and notice under 41A CRPC, we deem it appropriate to direct respondents to not take coercive action till May 22," the court said.

The CBI recently filed a First Information Report (FIR) against Wankhede for allegedly seeking Rs 25 crore bribe for not framing Shah Rukh Khan's son the said case.

The central agency booked Wankhede and others for alleged criminal conspiracy (120-B IPC), and threat of extortion (388 IPC) besides provisions pertaining to bribery under the Prevention of Corruption Act on a complaint from the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), PTI reported.

Meanwhile, Wankhede has claimed in his petition that Shah Rukh praised the officer's "integrity" and pleaded with him to be kind to Aryan.

According to Wankhede's petition before the Bombay High Court seeking to quash the FIR registered against him by the CBI for bribery, the Bollywood actor deplored the political involvement in his son's case.

As per the transcript provided in the petition, in one of the messages, Khan said, "God bless you. I have to come personally whenever you say and give a hug to you. Let me please know whenever it's convenient for you. Really I have always had the highest regard for your uprightness and now it has increased manifolds. Big respect. Love srk [sic]".