Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan was extorted and threatened to pay Rs 25 crore to protect his son Aryan Khan in a drugs case, according to the FIR submitted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Independent witness KP Gosavi, whose Instagram photo with Aryan Khan went viral, is accused of attempting to extort Rs 25 crore from Shah Rukh Khan on behalf of Sameer Wankhede, the former NCB Zonal Director, who is mentioned as the main culprit in the CBI’s FIR.
Along with KP Gosavi and his accomplice D’Souza, the CBI has named 2008 batch IRS officer Sameer Wankhede, NCB Superintendent V.V. Singh, and Aryan Khan drug case investigating officer Ashish Ranjan as accused.
According to the CBI, Wankhede and others allegedly wanted a Rs 25 crore bribe in exchange for not framing Aryan Khan in the drug bust case.
“Sameer Wankhede as then Zonal Director of NCB and in the capacity of the immediate supervisory officer, had directed to take KP Gosavi and Prabhakar Sail as the independent witness in the proceedings against the accused and directed V.V. Singh to let KP Gosavi handle the accused while taking him to NCB office and thereby allowing a free hand to KP Gosavi and others in order to create such a visual impression of KP Gosavi having the custody of the accused and escorting and dragging him towards NCB Mumbai office,” the CBI FIR read.
The Special Enquiry Team (SET) of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) investigated the matter, and according to the FIR, it was discovered that the accused individuals, including Aryan Khan, were driven to the NCB office in a private vehicle owned by the independent witness K P Gosavi.
“It appeared that the presence of the independent witness KP Gosavi around accused persons was created intentionally in such a manner so as to give an impression that KP Gosavi was an NCB personnel even though there were NCB personnel to handle the custody of the accused persons. The independent witness KP Gosavi was allowed to be present in the company of accused persons and even allowed to come to the NCB office after the raid which is against the norms for an independent witness,” the CBI FIR read.
When Aryan Khan was being held by NCB officers, KP Gosavi took a selfie with him that quickly went viral. CBI FIR has also alleged that K P Gosavi had the freedom, to click selfies and recorded the voice note of Aryan Khan.
Also Read: CBI Books Sameer Wankhede For Rs 25 Cr Bribe Demand In Aryan Khan Case
“It was this position that allowed KP Gosavi and his aide Sanvile D’Souza amongst others to enter into the conspiracy to extort an amount of Rs 25 crore from the family members of the alleged ‘accused’, Aryan Khan by threatening them of the accusation of offences of possession of Narcotics substances. This amount was finally settled for Rs 18 crore. A token amount of Rs 50 lakh as bribe money was also taken by KP Gosavi and his aide Sanvile D’Souza but later a part of this amount of Rs 50 lakh bribe money was returned back by them,” the FIR stated.
Due to insufficient justification for Sameer Wankhede and Ashish Ranjan’s acquisition of assets in relation to their declared income, NCB internal investigations have found suspicions of criminal misconduct and corrupt practices against both individuals.
The FIR further claims that Sameer Wankhede’s abroad trips were not adequately disclosed by him, and had apparently mis-declared the expenditure on his foreign travels.
“He has also not declared the source of his foreign visits properly. It was also found that Sameer Wankhede has indulged himself in sale and purchase of expensive wrist watches with a private entity, Viral Rajan, without intimating the department (present or parent),” added the FIR.
Following a preliminary investigation by the CBI on the basis of a vigilance report, the case was filed against Wankhede. It was discovered throughout the diligence investigation that Sameer Wankhede accumulated wealth through corruption. Following the filing of the FIR, the CBI also conducted raids at 30 other locations, including Sameer Wankhede’s residence and office.
The CBI received information that Rs 50 lakh was allegedly collected by the officer and his accomplice in advance, the officials said.
Wankhede, who headed the Narcotics Control Bureau in Mumbai at the time of Aryan Khan’s arrest, was transferred to the Directorate General of Taxpayer Services in Chennai in May of last year.
