Wankhede Can't Use Chats With Shah Rukh Khan To Prove His Integrity: NCB

The Narcotics Control Bureau, in an affidavit filed at Bombay High Court, has said that Sameer Wankhede, the former Mumbai zonal director of the anti-drugs agency, cannot use his chat messages with actor Shah Rukh Khan to prove his integrity, Hindustan Times reported.

"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 have been kept in secret by him," the bureau said in a 92-page affidavit filed on June 17, the daily said in an exclusive report.

It said, "Wankhede did not disclose the same (chats) to the SET (special enquiry team) or otherwise." Wankhede is being investigated over the allegations of demanding Rs 25 crore bribe from Shah Rukh Khan for not implicating his son Aryan in the Cordelia cruise 'drug bust' case.

The NCB stated that Wankhede had no reason to use those chats without informing to higher officials.

The affidavit read, "Moreover, it is pertinent to note that there was no reason for Wankhede to have continued such chats with Shah Rukh Khan without informing his superior officers," the NCB said. The chats will be evaluated by the Central Bureau of Investigation, which is investigating the extortion case," NCB said.

The central agency further claimed that it appears the former NCB officer made numerous calls to the Bollywood actor although "It cannot be said what transpired in those calls."

It has also been alleged that Wankhede was in regular touch with a deputy legal advisor even after he was out of the NCB. It alleged that Wankhede wanted "extract sensitive information" related to the Aryan Khan drug case and "manipulate the outcome".

The case is related to Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan, who was arrested in the alleged drug bust case on the Cordelia cruise ship on October 2, 2021, on suspicion of cocaine possession. However, he was cleared of all charges due to a lack of sufficient evidence after staying in jail for 25 days.

According to the CBI, KP Goswami appeared like an NCB official during the raid on the cruise and was responsible for the arrest of Shah Rukh Khan's son, the FIR accessed by the IANS stated. The CBI has claimed that 'independent witness' KP Gosavi had planned to extort Rs 25 crores from Aryan Khan's family. However, it was settled at Rs 8 crore and a token amount of Rs 50 lakh as a bribe was paid, but later some money was returned due to the case getting stuck, according to an IANS report.