Sameer Wankhede reacts to money laundering case for seeking Rs 25 crore bribe from Shah Rukh Khan

In Pic: Shah Rukh Khan and Sameer Wankhede

IRS officer Sameer Wankhede on Saturday expressed surprise over an alleged money-laundering case for seeking Rs 25 crore bribe from Shah Rukh Khan, lodged against him by the ED, but assured he would cooperate fully with the probe agency.

As per IANS, Wankhede, the former Zonal Director of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Mumbai, is facing allegations and a CBI probe for allegedly seeking a bribe of Rs 25 crore during the October 2021 raid on the Cordelia cruise ship in which actor Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan was also arrested.

"The ED had registered the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) in 2023. It is surprising that this ECIR is based on the CBI FIR which is already under question before the Bombay High Court," said Wankhede in a brief reaction in Maharashtra.

However, he pointed out that since the matter was sub judice, he wouldn't say anything more on it, but would give an appropriate reply in court at the right time.

IANS further reported that Wankhede reiterated that he had full faith in the Indian Judiciary. The IRS officer's tenure as the NCB Mumbai Zonal Director is under the scanner of the CBI which had registered the FIR against him.

The ED, which has filed a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act has now summoned Wankhede for questioning. An officer of IRS 2008, Wankhede had earlier moved the Bombay HC seeking protection from any coercive action by the ED. During the high-profile NCB raids on the cruiser Cordelia, 20 people were arrested and certain quantities of drugs were recovered in that operation.

Subsequently, Wankhede and others faced an NCB Vigilance probe into the lapses in the raid. The charges against Aryan Khan were dropped in May 2022 due to a lack of evidence.

The much-hyped case took a twist when an 'independent witness' had claimed in 2021 that Rs 25 crore was demanded by an NCB official and other persons, including a witness Gosavi, to let off Aryan Khan.

On the work front, Aaryan Khan is all set to make his directorial debut. The film will reportedly star Shah Rukh Khan. The actor, who has recently delivered three hit films, shared that the decision to join the industry is his kids' own choice, and he has not influenced them in any way.

(With Inputs IANS)