Sameer Wankhede, the controversial Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer and former Director of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), may make his political debut in the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections. According to reports, Wankhede is expected to contest from Dharavi, one of Mumbai’s most prominent constituencies, under the banner of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s faction of the Shiv Sena.
The Maharashtra assembly elections, with voting for all 288 constituencies, will be held in a single phase on November 20, and the results are scheduled to be announced on November 23.
Wankhede gained national attention in October 2021 when he led the high-profile raid on the Cordelia cruise ship, which resulted in the arrest of Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son, Aryan Khan, on allegations of drug possession and consumption. Aryan Khan was detained for nearly a month before being released on bail, and the charges against him were eventually dropped. Wankhede, however, faced accusations of blackmail and was removed from the case. Subsequently, he was transferred to Chennai.
In May 2023, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a corruption case against Wankhede, alleging that he demanded a bribe of approximately Rs 25 crore from Shah Rukh Khan in exchange for Aryan Khan’s release. Wankhede denied the allegations. Other individuals, including former NCB officers Vishwa Vijay Singh and Ashish Ranjan, as well as witnesses like Kiran Gosavi, were also named in the CBI’s First Information Report (FIR).
The CBI’s investigation followed an internal vigilance probe by the NCB, which identified irregularities in Wankhede’s handling of the Aryan Khan case. Wankhede was also accused of extortion by Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) spokesperson Nawab Malik.
Wankhede and his associates were charged under sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 388 (extortion) of the Indian Penal Code, along with violations of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Despite the legal challenges, Wankhede was cleared of bribery charges four months later, just before the release of Shah Rukh Khan’s blockbuster film *Jawan*.
