The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is likely to call Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan and his son Aryan in connection with its ongoing investigations related to the alleged bribe demand of Rs 25 crore from the actor for not implicating his son Aryan Khan in the 2021 Cordelia cruise drug bust case.
The bureau is probing an allegation that the then zonal director of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Sameer Wankhede had denied the charge.
"Statements of all those who are connected with the case will be recorded to know what exactly had transpired and to seek more clarity," said a CBI official.
Meanwhile, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) that had taken over the NCB's Cordelia probe, on Wednesday denied the claims made in a media report that a fake international driving license was found by the NCB from possession of Aryan Khan in 2021.
"There is no mention of such license in either seizure panchnama of jama-Takashi as far as the case is concerned," said an SIT source.
WANKHEDE AND FOUR OTHER ACCUSED
The CBI had booked Wankhede and four others, including VV Singh Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Superintendent, intelligence officer Ashish Ranjan and two private persons KP Gosavi and D'Souza on May 11 for alleged criminal conspiracy and threat of extortion, besides provisions pertaining to bribery under the Prevention of Corruption Act on a complaint by the NCB.
In its FIR filed last month, the CBI had alleged that "Gosavi, D'Souza and others had entered into a conspiracy to extort an amount of Rs 25 crores from the family members of Aryan by threatening them with the accusation of offences of possession of narcotics substances. This amount was finally settled for Rs 18 crores. A token amount of Rs 50 lakh was also taken by Gosavi and his aide D'Souza but later a part of this amount of Rs 50 lakh bribe money was returned back by them."
Previously, the CBI had questioned Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer Sameer Wankhede and D'Souza in the case. Wankhede had denied allegations against him.
ARYAN KHAN'S ARREST IN 2021
Aryan Khan was arrested by the NCB on October 3, 2021, following the alleged drug seizure on board the Cordelia cruise ship. He was granted bail by the high court.
The Cordelia probe was then taken over by the SIT of NCB which later gave a clean chit to Aryan and five others due to lack of sufficient evidence.
