Superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan grabbed headlines when he was arrested in connection with the drugs-on-cruise case in 2021. Now, former Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) zonal director Sameer Wankhede has refuted the notion that Aryan was made a “bali ka bakra” in the drugs case.
Defending the arrest, he maintained that everything was done strictly by the book and stressed that an individual can be taken into custody on drug-related charges even without being found in possession of any substances.
Sameer on Aryan Khan case
During a conversation with Mama’s Couch YouTube channel, Sameer spoke about the drug case which grabbed headlines because of the involvement of Aryan. He revealed that he has signed an affidavit, submitted in Bombay High Court, stating that he would not be speaking about Aryan’s case to the media.
When the interviewer continued to ask pointed questions about Aryan’s case, Sameer gave elaborate answers but refrained from taking Aryan’s name. On being asked why Aryan was kept in custody for 25 days despite not carrying any drugs, Sameer mentioned that possession is not always a prerequisite for an arrest.
Talking about the case, Sameer said, “People have this misconception that if no drugs were found on you, there won’t be any action. If someone has been caught with drugs, then someone must have manufactured it, someone must have supplied it, and there must be someone who is intending to buy it. Do you think that we should not arrest those who manufacture them, or those who are intending to buy them because both of them will not be in possession of drugs? The law entails that the entire chain should be arrested. No matter who is the one who has the possession.”
When the host directly asked if Aryan was made “bali ka bakra” (a scapegoat), Sameer responded, “Isme bali ka bakra koi banta nahi hai (There is no scapegoat in this) After a lot of thought, there is a conscious possession, there is some electronic evidence, there is some statement, so on the basis of that, the investigation is done…It’s not just Wankhede who is doing it all, there are a lot of procedures.”
During the case proceedings, Sameer was accused of leaking his conversations with Shah Rukh. Sameer defended himself by mentioning that “leaking would be the wrong word here. It’s neither my habit, nor am I so weak to do such things. I don’t need to do such things.”
About the drug case
Back in October 2021, Aryan came into the spotlight when his name got involved in a high-profile drugs case after the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) raided a rave party on the Goa-bound Cordelia Empress cruise ship off the Mumbai coast.
The cruise, headed for Lakshadweep, grabbed national attention after Aryan, his friend Arbaaz Merchant, and several others were taken into custody. Aryan was arrested by the NCB team, led by the ex-Zonal officer, Sameer Wankhede, in October 2021. He was released after spending more than three weeks in jail following his arrest. Later, Aryan was given a clean chit in the drugs case.
Sameer takes Aryan to court
Last month, Sameer filed a defamation suit against Aryan and Shah Rukh Khan over their show, The Ba***ds of Bollywood. The suit was also against other makers of the Netflix series. Sameer demanded ₹2 crore in damages, claiming a character on the show seemed to be parodying him. His plea sought permanent and mandatory injunction, declaration and damages against the Red Chillies Entertainment Private Limited, Netflix and others, for what he alleges is “false, malicious and defamatory video” of the production house and broadcast by Netflix as part of their television series.
On September 25, the Delhi High Court heard the defamation suit and found the complaint not maintainable.
