Wankhede skips CBI questioning, cites ‘personal reasons’

According to agency sources, Wankhede cited personal reasons for his inability to appear before the CBI probe team. The CBI is likely to summon Wankhede on a fresh date, the sources added. The Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer could not be reached for comment on Wednesday

Mumbai: Sameer Wankhede, former Mumbai zonal director of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), on Wednesday did not appear for questioning before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the alleged ₹25 crore bribery case in connection with the arrest of Aryan Khan, son of actor Shah Rukh Khan.

Mumbai, India - May 22, 2023: Former Zonal Director of Mumbai Narcotics Control Bureau Sameer Wankhede being escorted outside the Bombay High Court after the court extended his interim protection against coercive action in the bribery case in connection with the Cordelia Cruise drug bust till June 8, in Mumbai, India, on Monday, May 22, 2023. (Photo by Bhushan Koyande/HT Photo) (HT PHOTO)

According to agency sources, Wankhede cited personal reasons for his inability to appear before the CBI probe team. The CBI is likely to summon Wankhede on a fresh date, the sources added. The Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.

The agency had on Saturday and Sunday questioned Wankhede, for around four and five hours, respectively.

The CBI corruption case was registered on May 11 on a request from the NCB against Wankhede and four others.

The agency had accused Wankhede and the others of conspiring to extort ₹25 crore from Shah Rukh Khan in lieu of not booking his son in the cruise drugs bust case and subsequently obtaining a bribe of ₹50 lakh from the actor.

The case was registered against Wankhede, Vishwa Vijay Singh, then NCB superintendent, and Ashish Ranjan, then intelligence officer of the NCB’s Mumbai zonal unit, as well as individuals namely KP Gosavi, Sanville D’Souza, and unknown persons. Dismissing the charges, Wankhede had earlier said the CBI action was result of a “vendetta” on the part of a few NCB officials. Wankhede is learnt to have told the CBI that the allegations against him were false and imaginary, the agency sources had said.

The Bombay high court on Monday extended till June 8 the interim protection granted to Wankhede, while hearing his plea seeking quashing of the CBI’s FIR against him. The bench had also directed Wankhede to give an undertaking that he will not talk to the media about the case.