Intention of NCB SET was to give clean chit to Aryan Khan: Sameer Wankhede to Bombay High Court

The endevaour of the Special Enquiry Team (SET) of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) which probed the cruise ship drug case was to give a clean chit to Aryan Khan, son of actor Shah Rukh Khan, former NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede told the Bombay High Court on Thursday. .In an affidavit filed before the High Court, Wankhede said that SET report was intended to create doubt about investigation initially monitored by him. "The entire endeavour of the SET vide the impugned report was to create as many doubts regarding investigation of Cordelia cruise case in order to meet the ultimate motive of giving Aryan Khan a clean chit and be able to justify the same," the affidavit said.The affidavit was filed by Wankhede in support of his plea seeking quashing of the first information report (FIR) filed against him by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in a bribery case. The drug case against Aryan Khan had been initiated by the Mumbai unit of NCB headed by Wankhede after a search-seizure operation was carried out on the Mumbai-Goa cruise on October 2, 2021, which led to 20 arrests including Aryan Khan.Khan was later granted bail on October 28, 2021 and given a clean chit on May 27, 2022.The investigation was later transferred to the SET.Meanwhile, the CBI registered an FIR against Wankhede for allegedly demanding a bribe of ₹25 crore from Shah Rukh Khan in exchange for not framing his son Aryan Khan in the 2021 Cordelia cruise ship drugs case.He was booked for offences under sections 7 (bribery), 7A (undue advantage to influence public servant by illegal means) and 12 (abetment) of the Prevention of Corruption Act along with section 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 388 (extortion) of the Indian Penal Code.The High Court then granted interim protection to him.As per the CBI, the FIR was registered on the basis of a report submitted by the SET which red-flagged lapses and irregularities in the investigation by monitored by Wankhede. In response, Wankhede in his affidavit stated that SET had twisted facts to harass honest officials and create doubts about the investigation. “I submit that in order harass the officials, the SET has twisted the facts and labelled false allegations to jeopardize the career and character of honest officials. The entire endeavour of the SET through the report was to create as many doubts regarding the investigation of the Cordelia cruise case in order to meet their ultimate motive of giving Aryan Khar a clean chit and be able to justify the same,” the affidavit said. .Wankhede stated that the information note submitted by SET was not based on the report prepared by the NCB zonal unit after the raid on the Cordelia cruise ship. Wankhede further contended that the zonal unit had enlisted 10 suspects, but the SET report claimed that the zonal unit had enlisted 27 suspects. Wankhede clarified that the change in the note allegedly at his behest was an ill-founded allegation and was made merely to harass honest officers of the NCB. “SET has sought to give clean chit to Aryan Khan by suppressing material information and evidences and in violation of legal provisions. The SET has also challenged judicial process by not filing investigation report against Aryan Khan is mandated by CrPC either in body of a chargesheet or closure report,” the affidavit stated..Wankhede also denied allegations that he had received expensive accessories and and foreign trips with his family as gratification for not registering cases of drug abuse.He also relied on a 10-minute audio recording to claim that a draft complaint prepared by the legal advisor of NCB was changed to benefit Aryan Khan and some other suspects in the case.