Sameer Wankhede won't seek extension; NCB stint ends December 31
Sameer Wankhede, the Narcotics Control Bureau's (NCB) Mumbai Zonal chief, will not seek an extension of his term which is due to end on December 31. Wankhede was appointed to the anti-drugs agency in September last year and given a four-month extension earlier this year. The officer has been in the spotlight for acting against several film personalities including Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan.
Wankhede took charge amid Bollywood drug case
Wankhede, a 2008-batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer, took charge of the NCB job when a drug case was underway against film actor Rhea Chakraborty and others. That investigation was launched in the aftermath of actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death by alleged suicide. Chakraborty and her brother Showik spent several weeks in jail before being released on bail.
Aryan Khan's infamous arrest
But a bigger controversy awaited Wankhede's stint in the NCB when his team arrested Aryan Khan and others from a cruise ship party. That case kicked up a storm in Maharashtra politics as state Minister Nawab Malik leveled various allegations against the officer. Eventually, the cruise ship case was transferred from NCB Mumbai to a special team formed by the central agency's head office.
Wankhede faced several allegations
Malik alleged Wankhede was involved in an extortion racket with several Bollywood celebrities. He further said the officer used a forged birth certificate and his real name was Sameer Dawood Wankhede. The officer also recently faced a pay-off accusation from an NCB witness. Amit the allegations, Wankhede's father filed a defamation case against Malik. Meanwhile, the probe agency launched a vigilance inquiry against Wankhede.
A run-in with SRK one decade ago
Before his posting with the NCB, Wankhede was associated with the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI). In 2011, he had stopped Shah Rukh Khan at the airport and fined him Rs. 1.5 lakh for carrying excessive luggage. This year, he was awarded the Home Minister's Medal for his investigative work. It is not yet clear where he would work after his NCB role ends.
