Fresh Summons Awaited as Sameer Wankhede Fails to Attend CBI Statement Recording Session

As per reports, Wankhede had written a letter to the Mumbai Police commissioner on Monday, requesting enhanced security measures due to serious threats targeting him and his family on social media.

Fresh Summons Awaited as Sameer Wankhede Fails to Attend CBI Statement Recording Session
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Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer Sameer Wankhede did not appear for his scheduled statement recording session with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday, citing personal reasons, according to insider sources. Consequently, the agency is preparing to issue fresh summons to Wankhede, urging his participation in the ongoing investigation concerning the Cordelia cruise drug bust case.

Initial Summons Ignored 

Sources reveal that the CBI had initially summoned Wankhede on Monday, instructing him to present himself before the agency on Wednesday. However, Wankhede informed the CBI that he would be unable to attend. Former zonal director of the Mumbai Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Wankhede had written a letter to the Mumbai Police commissioner on Monday, requesting enhanced security measures due to serious threats targeting him and his family on social media.

Weekend Interrogation 

During the weekend, the CBI extensively interrogated Wankhede for over five hours. The agency is presently investigating allegations surrounding a purported demand of a bribe worth Rs 25 crore by the IRS officer from actor Shah Rukh Khan in exchange for avoiding implicating his son Aryan in the drug bust case. Prompted by a complaint from the NCB, the CBI initiated a case on May 11 against Wankhede and four others, including NCB superintendent VV Singh, intelligence officer Ashish Ranjan, and two private individuals named KP Gosavi and Sanvile D'Souza. The charges leveled against them include criminal conspiracy, extortion threats, and bribery under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Relief from High Court 

On Friday, Wankhede obtained relief from the Bombay High Court, which issued a directive to the CBI to refrain from taking any coercive actions, such as making an arrest, until May 22. In his plea seeking the quashing of the FIR, Wankhede alleged that the original "draft complaint" in the 2021 drugs-on-cruise case had initially implicated Aryan but was subsequently modified, resulting in the exclusion of Aryan's name.

Aryan's Arrest and Bail 

Aryan was arrested by the NCB on October 3, 2021, following an alleged drug seizure on the Cordelia ship. Three weeks later, he was granted bail by the high court due to the NCB's inability to substantiate the charges against him. According to the CBI, the NCB's Mumbai zone received information in October 2021 regarding drug consumption and possession by several individuals aboard the cruise ship. Allegedly, certain NCB officers conspired to extort bribes from the accused in exchange for leniency.

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