Delhi High Court granted protection from arrest (No coercive action) till May 22 to former Zonal Director, NCB Mumbai Sameer Wankhede who was summoned by CBI in connection with a corruption case. As per the latest updates, the former anti-drugs officer will not go to the CBI office on Thursday (May 18) to record his statement. The Delhi High Court has given interim relief to former Mumbai NCB zonal director against any kind of action. The court also asked Sameer Wankhede to go to the Bombay High Court.
Wankhede moved Delhi HC seeking cross FIR against Deputy DG NCB Gyaneshwar Singh, claiming that the allegations by NCB against him are "false and misleading".
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday had summoned former Mumbai NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede asking him to appear before them on May 18. The probing agency had directed him to appear before the CBI Mumbai office in connection with a corruption case in Star Kid Aryan Khan's drugs cruise matter.
"Today Delhi High Court granted protection from arrest (No coercive action) till May 22 to former Zonal Director, NCB Mumbai Sameer Wankhede with liberty to approach the Bombay High Court for further relief. Wankhede moved Delhi HC seeking cross FIR against Deputy DG NCB Gyaneshwar Singh, claiming that the allegations by NCB against him are "false and misleading"," read a tweet from ANI.
Wankhede and 4 others were booked
Earlier, CBI registered a corruption case against IRS officer Sameer Wankhede along with others. A search operation was conducted at 29 locations including Mumbai, Ranchi, Kanpur, Delhi on May 12. Sameer Wankhede and 4 others were booked under the Prevention of Corruption and IPC sections.
He demanded bribes in lieu of settling Case No. 94/2021 registered by NCB
After the investigation, the vigilance team of NCB requested the CBI to investigate the matter. Investigation revealed that the Zonal Director of Mumbai NCB and other accused had demanded bribes in lieu of settling Case No. 94/2021 registered by NCB and also took some money.
Former Mumbai zonal director of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Sameer Wankhede had come to the limelight following the high-profile October 2021 raids by the NCB on a Mumbai cruise after which the agency had arrested Aryan Khan, son of actor Shah Rukh Khan, and 19 others and claimed to have seized some narcotics too. The NCB had later given a clean chit to Aryan Khan.
Wankhede demanded Rs 25 crore
The CBI in its FIR has alleged that Wankhede and others demanded Rs 25 cr in the Cordelia Cruise Aryan Khan case and took Rs 50 lakh as extortion.
Earlier, Thane police had also registered an FIR against Narcotics Control Bureau's former Mumbai zonal director Sameer Wankhede for alleged forgery in connection with a licence which he had procured for a bar and hotel owned by him in Navi Mumbai.
Wankhede, who was being probed for allegedly submitting a fake caste certificate for getting a government job, was given a clean chit by the caste scrutiny committee.
ALSO READ | Wankhede demanded Rs 25 crore bribe from SRK's family to let off Aryan in drugs case, says CBI
ALSO READ | CBI registers corruption case against Sameer Wankhede, IRS officer who probed drugs-on-cruise case
