Aryan Khan drug case: Know why Sameer Wankhede got transferred, controversy around NCB’s ex-officer

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan, who was arrested in relation to a drug case in Mumbai last year, recently got a clean chit by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), and former agency officer Sameer Wankhede found himself on the other end.

NCB’s former zonal chief Sameer Wankhede headed the investigation against Aryan Khan in October 2021, which ultimately led to the star kid’s arrest. Now, action has been taken against the former NCB chief, and he has been transferred to Tamil Nadu.

Officials had announced that action will be taken against Wankhede in the Aryan Khan drug case for conducting a “shoddy investigation”. On Sunday, Wankhede was transferred to Chennai to the Directorate General of Taxpayers Services.

As soon as the investigation of the Mumbai drug bust involving Aryan Khan started, Sameer Wankhede was embroiled in controversy with allegations of conducting investigations with loopholes in the case. Many also accused Wankhede of running a targeted drug bust against Khan, and several others.

Over several allegations against him for running an improper investigation, Wankhede was removed from the Aryan Khan drug case for his “shoddy probe” in the matter. After being removed, he was sent to the Directorate General of Analytics and Risk Management in Mumbai.

Wankhede also faced criticism and allegations from political leaders, who accused him of submitting a fake caste certificate to land a government job. Further, there were many irregularities pointed out during Wankhede’s investigation of the Mumbai drug bust.

According to sources, no videography was done by the investigation team during the drug bust, and there was a lapse in analyzing the chats found on Aryan Khan’s phone, which reportedly did not link him to the case.

Further, it was also stated that no medical tests were done to detect the consumption of drugs, and it was alleged that one of the witnesses in the case was made to sign a blank sheet of paper, and later turned hostile.

It was also alleged that all the accused in the Mumbai drug case had the same charges leveled against them, even though Aryan Khan was not found possessing any drugs, as per reports. Wankhede has since been facing criticism for his handling of the case, and has been transferred to Chennai for his “shoddy investigation”.

READ | NCB’s Aryan Khan case probe lead Sameer Wankhede transferred to Chennai