Ex-NCB officer Wankhede—who arrested SRK's son—may contest Maharashtra polls
What's the story
Former Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer and ex-Zonal Director of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Sameer Wankhede is reportedly expected to take the political plunge in 2024.
He will be contesting the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections, news agency ANI reported.
He is likely to contest on a Shiv Sena party ticket, headed by Eknath Shinde from Dharavi constituency.
Career background
Wankhede's career and controversy in NCB
Wankhede, a 2008 batch IRS officer, was the Zonal Director of NCB till 2021.
He shot to national prominence when he led a team that arrested Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan on drug-related charges in October 2021.
Aryan was, however, later exonerated by the NCB in the drugs-on-cruise case.
Corruption allegations
Legal troubles and corruption charges against Wankhede
Notably, in May last year, Wankhede had landed in legal trouble when he was booked by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
He was accused of demanding a ₹25 crore bribe to not implicate Aryan in the drug case.
He was booked for criminal conspiracy and threat of extortion under sections 120-B and 388 of the Indian Penal Code and provisions under the Prevention of Corruption Act on the basis of a complaint from NCB.
Case registration
Internal probe against Wankhede
After the corruption allegations, the NCB launched an internal vigilance probe against Wankhede and others involved.
The findings of this probe were sent to the CBI, resulting in a formal case being registered against him.
To recall, Maharashtra elections will be held in a single phase on November 20 and the results will be announced on November 23.