New Delhi: Narcotics Control Bureau deputy director general Gyaneshwar Singh has mentioned in his report on the Aryan Khan drug case that the annual income of Sameer Wankhede, the former Mumbai Zone Director of NCB, and his wife is around Rs 22.75 lakh, but he owns four flats, plots and expensive watches.
It has been mentioned in the report that the price of one of the watches is Rs 22 lakh which is surprising.
Foreign visits undertaken by former NCB officer Sameer Wankhede, booked by the CBI over an alleged Rs 25-crore bribe demand from superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s family to spare his son, Aryan Khan, in a drugs case, is under the scanner of the agency, officials said.
“Sameer Wankhede goes on long vacations abroad. While staying in the UK, Wankhede pays only Rs 1 lakh for 19 days. Viral Ranjan, who deals in watch business, pays most of his expenses,” Gyaneshwar Singh has mentioned in the report.
“Why did the travel agent make plans for him and why such a thing has not been reported to the SET and clarify any doubts towards the transactions? The 19-day long visit to London, UK for tourism purposes cannot be justified with a declared 1 lakh expense,” read the report submitted by Gyaneshwar Singh.
The reports mentioned that there was another dubious transaction where four watches were sold by Wankhede to one, Viral Ranjan for Rs 7,40,000. The payment was made by cheque which was in favour of Kranti Redkar, Wankhede’s wife.
“The mode of acquisition of these expensive watches is questionable. No reporting of these watches has been made. It is also pertinent to raise the doubt that as to how Wankhede got the payment immediately for the sold watches (unknown buyers) and he gets the facility of credit for purchase of a new watch worth Rs 22 lakhs,” the report read.
The report says that in 2019 Wankhede bought a Rolex Watch and there were two invoices of that purchase — one was of Rs 22,05,000 and on another invoice, it was Rs 20,53,200. DDG has raised questions on the authenticity of both the invoices.
“Viral Ranjan and Wankhede stated that the watch was bought by Wankhede for Rs 17,40,000. It is not clear as to why an expensive watch has been sold at a price below MRP to Wankhede. Viral Ranjan, who is the buyer/ seller of watches, is coincidentally the same person who financed Wankhede’s personal trip to the Maldives with his family,” the report read.
An NCB Special Enquiry Team (SET) had red-flagged alleged improper explanations and apparent misdeclaration of “the expenditure” given by the then Zonal Director Wankhede on his foreign visits.
These findings were referred by the Centre to the CBI which had registered an FIR against the officer and four others on May 11.
“He has also not declared the source of his foreign visits properly. It was also found that 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),” the SET said in the findings which are now part of the FIR.
