Aryan Khan case: NCB officer heading drugs-on-cruise probe gets security hiked after stalking charge
Security of Sameer Wankhede, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officer probing the Mumbai drugs-on-cruise case involving Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan among others, has been tightened after he said he was being spied on. Wankhede, who has been in the eye of a storm since the arrest of Khan and the others in the drugs case, alleged that he was being followed by two Mumbai Police personnel and met Maharashtra director general of police (DGP) Sanjay Pandey, seeking more security.
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According to reports, more armed bodyguards have been added to the existing security detail of NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede and his official vehicle has also been changed. Earlier, the officer claimed that he was followed by some policemen when he was visiting a Mumbai cemetery, where his mother is buried. The police personnel also allegedly gathered closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage from the cemetery monitoring his movement.
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Later, Mumbai Police commissioner Hemant Nagrale took note of the complaint and ordered an inquiry into the allegations made by Sameer Wankhede. The commissioner confirmed that he received a written complaint and that an additional commissioner of police has been ordered to look into the allegations and submit a report.
In the Mumbai cruise drug raid case, 20 people have been arrested so far – including Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan, his friend Arbaaz Merchant and others, including foreign nationals and drug suppliers.
The case has generated a buzz, with politicians, filmmakers, and other eminent personalities across the country pitching in their two cents on the developments. After the cruise drug bust, senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Nawab Malik claimed that the arrest was a conspiracy involving the NCB and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to defame Maharashtra, Uddhav Thackeray-led coalition government, and the film industry.
Meanwhile, a special Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) court is hearing the bail plea of Aryan Khan – who has already been denied bail thrice – and other accused. After hearing extensive arguments from both sides on Thursday, the court said that it would pass an order on the plea next Wednesday, October 20. For the while, Aryan Khan will remain lodged in a normal cell at Mumbai’s Arthur Road prison.