MUMBAI: Controversial IRS officer Sameer Wankhede appears to be in trouble as the NCB on Friday gave the clean chit to Aryan Khan, son of actor Shah Rukh Khan, in the drugs case related to the October 2021 cruise ship raid led by him as the agency's Mumbai zonal director.
NCP minister Nawab Malik was the first to claim that the raid was fake and an attempt to extort money from leading film stars. Then it was also alleged that even the panchas-five witnesses during raids-brought by the NCB were fake and had criminal backgrounds.
Malik had alleged that Wankhede was a Muslim but had submitted a forged caste certificate to the UPSC at the time of taking central services exam and seeking appointment to a post reserved for scheduled caste. He had also accused Wankhede of fraudulently getting a licence for a bar and restaurant in Navi Mumbai over two decades ago.
Following Malik's complaint, the district caste verification committee conducted a probe and submitted its report. Now, the Mumbai district caste certificate scrutiny committee has summoned Wankhede on June 8. He has challenged the proceedings before the district committee. In the probe into the bar licence complaint, Thane collector Mahesh Narwekar had found that Wankhede, though ineligible as he was then aged 17, had secured the permit on October 27, 1997. The bar licence was cancelled and a criminal case was filed against Wankhede. He has moved the HC in the matter.
Wankhede did not respond to TOI's message.
