Cordelia cruise case: CBI summons ex-NCB officer Sameer Wankhede; asks to appear on May 18

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday summoned Sameer Wankhede, the former zonal director of the Mumbai Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), days after he was booked for extortion. This comes in connection with the cruise drug seizure case pertaining to Aryan Khan, son of actor Shah Rukh Khan. Wankhede has been directed to appear before the agency on Thursday, May 18 to record his statement.

Earlier this week, CBI registered a case against Sameer Wankhede and three others in connection with the alleged corruption in the Cordelia cruise case. 

Wankhede, 3 Others for alleged corruption  

Wankhede has been accused of seeking Rs 25 crore bribe for not framing Aryan Khan in the drug bust case, PTI reported. Along with Wankhede's residence, the agency raided 29 locations across the country including Mumbai, Delhi, Ranchi and Kanpur. He has been booked under IPC Sections 7, 7A, and 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, and Sections 120 B (criminal conspiracy) and 388 (extortion by threat).

 Wankhede led the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) when the agency raided the Cordelia cruise at the Mumbai International Cruise Terminal on October 3, 2021. Several people, including Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan were arrested after the raid. The actor's son, however, was granted bail by the Bombay High Court on October 28. He then received a clean chit in May last year due to lack of evidence. Aryan Khan was arrested under the charges of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act after psychedelic drugs were seized from the cruise. 

The CBI received information that Rs 50 lakh was allegedly collected by the officer and his accomplice in advance, the officials said. Wankhede, who headed the NCB in Mumbai at the time of Aryan Khan's arrest, was transferred to the Directorate General of Taxpayer Services in Chennai in May 2022.