Sameer Wankhede, the former Zonal Director of the Mumbai Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), revealed that he and his wife have been receiving threats for the past four days. This comes after Wankhede was booked by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday for allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs 25 crore to not implicate Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan's son, Aryan Khan, in the drugs-on-cruise case.
Threats and social media abuse
Wankhede informed ANI that he and his wife, Kranti Redkar, have been receiving threats and obscene messages on social media. He intends to write to the Mumbai Police Commissioner to request special security in response to these threats.
Cooperation with the CBI Investigation
Wankhede was questioned for the second consecutive day on Sunday regarding the bribery allegations. After his interrogation, he stated that he will continue to cooperate fully with the CBI's investigation. He assured ANI that he has provided answers to all the questions posed by the CBI.
Bribery allegations and violation of conduct rules
According to the CBI, the alleged bribe deal was for Rs 18 crore, and Wankhede's assets were not proportionate to his known sources of income. Additionally, NCB officials claimed that Wankhede violated conduct rules by sharing conversations he had with Shah Rukh Khan regarding Aryan Khan's arrest in the drugs-on-cruise case. They raised concerns about how an investigating officer could engage in such chats with the family of the accused without informing superiors or the vigilance team.
The NCB officials further alleged that Wankhede did not provide the phone he used to chat with Shah Rukh Khan, and he also attempted to intimidate a senior NCB official when the official took over the case.
Protection from arrest granted
Wankhede had approached the Bombay High Court to challenge the CBI's actions against him. The court granted him protection from arrest until May 22.
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