Aryan Khan drugs case: NCB officer Sameer Wankhede removed from investigation team, says report

Narcotics Control Bureau officer Sameer Wankhede has been removed from the Aryan Khan drugs case as well as five other cases as the allegations of corruption against him are being probed.

Sameer Wankhede, who has been spearheading the drugs case of Aryan Khan, has been dropped from the investigation team. As per a report on NDTV, a Special Investigation Team led by Sanjay Singh, will take over the case.

Wankhede has been facing allegations of Rs 8 crore payoff and extortion.

NCP leader Nawab Malik also tweeted the news. He wrote, "Sameer Wankhede removed from 5 cases including the Aryan Khan case. There are 26 cases in all that need to be probed. This is just the beginning... a lot more has to be done to clean this system and we will do it."

Sameer Wankhede removed from 5 cases including the Aryan Khan case.
There are 26 cases in all that need to be probed.
This is just the beginning... a lot more has to be done to clean this system and we will do it. — Nawab Malik نواب ملک नवाब मलिक (@nawabmalikncp) November 5, 2021

The role of Wankhede came under scanner when a witness in the case--Prabhakar Sail--alleged that Wankhede could be a part of the payoff trail.

The NCB has said that Wankhede will continue to operate as the Zonal Director of the agency.

NCB officials told PTI that the drugs case is among six cases transferred to Delhi operations unit of NCB from Mumbai.

Mumbai | Total 6 cases of our zone will now be investigated by Delhi teams (of NCB), including Aryan Khan's case and 5 other cases. It was an administrative decision: Mutha Ashok Jain, Deputy DG, South-Western Region, NCB

(File photo) pic.twitter.com/vmjP65YOOv — ANI (@ANI) November 5, 2021

According to ANI sources, the Mumbai NCB team under Wankhede will also not be probing the case against Sameer Khan, son-in-law of Maharashtra Minister Nawab Malik.

Speaking to ANI, NCB Deputy Director South-Western Region General Mutha Ashok Jain said a total of six cases including Aryan Khan`s case and 5 others of the Mumbai zone will be now investigated by teams from Delhi. "It was an administrative decision," Jain said.

Meanwhile, Wankhede said that he has not been removed from the investigation and it was his writ petition in court that the matter be probed by a central agency. "I have not been removed from the investigation. It was my writ petition in court that the matter be probed by a central agency. So Aryan case and Sameer Khan case are being probed by Delhi NCB's SIT. It is in coordination between NCB teams of Delhi and Mumbai," he told ANI.

The team of Delhi NCB is arriving in Mumbai tomorrow.

Earlier on Tuesday, Wankhede said, "The drug mafia is trying to frame him and his family in false cases."

He has been accused of extortion and forging documents to secure a government job.

Nawab Malik had alleged that Wankhede was born a Muslim but he forged documents, including a caste certificate, to pass off as a Scheduled Caste (SC) person to get recruitment under quota after clearing the UPSC exams.