Sameer Wankhede, Accused Of Asking Bribe From Shah Rukh Khan To Let Off Aryan, To Contest Maha Polls

Controversial Indian Revenue Service officer Sameer Wankhede, who was accused of asking bribe from Shah Rukh Khan, is likely to contest in the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections, Times Now reported citing sources.

Wankhede is known for leading the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) team that arrested Shah Rukh Khan's son, Aryan Khan, on drug-related charges in 2021.

The report claims that Wankhede is likely to contest from Dharavi.

In May last year, the CBI filed charges against Wankhede for allegedly demanding a ₹25 crore bribe to avoid implicating Aryan Khan in the case. Wankhede and several others were charged under Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 388 (threat of extortion) of the Indian Penal Code, as well as provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, following a complaint from the NCB.

Aryan Khan was arrested during a drug bust on the Cordelia cruise ship on October 2, 2021. Although the NCB filed a chargesheet against 14 individuals in the case, Aryan was given a clean chit.

The case gained further attention when an independent witness claimed that an NCB official and others, including witness Gosavi, had demanded Rs 25 crore to let Aryan Khan go. This led to an internal vigilance probe by the NCB against Wankhede, the findings of which were shared with the CBI, resulting in a formal case against him.

Maharashtra go for polls on November 20 in a single phase and counting of votes will be on November 23.