Mumbai: Here is a real hero whose very name frightens the reel heroes of Bollywood who have links with the drug mafia. He is also a nightmare for those who evade tax with impunity. He is none other than Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Mumbai Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede. Wankhede is in the news again for his raid on a cruise ship in the seas off Mumbai that put the Bollywood again in bad light for its shady deals with the drug mafia. He fired a fresh salvo by arresting actor Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan and a few others after a drug bust aboard the vessel, en route from Mumbai to Goa, on Saturday. The NCB seized cocaine, hashish and other drugs at a rave party attended by the actor's son and friends.
Wankhede and his team have been spearheading the investigation into the drugs racket in Bollywood ever since the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput rocked the country last year. His team also questioned several Bollywood actors and powerful personalities in connection with the case. He was the one who investigated actress Rhea Chakraborty’s link to Sushant Singh's death, and finally, arrested her.
Who is Sameer Wankhade?
Sameer Wankhede, who is a 2008 batch Indian Revenue Service officer, got his first posting at the Mumbai Airport as the Customs Officer. During 2008 to 2020, he served as Deputy Commissioner of Air Intelligence Unit (AIU), Additional Superintendent of Police of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Joint Commissioner of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and Zonal Director of the NCB.
He has booked more than 2,000 VIPs for not paying the taxes. In 2013, Wankhede caught pop singer Mika Singh at the Mumbai airport with foreign currency. The top cop has also raided properties owned by several Bollywood celebrities.
No leniency for World Cup Trophy
Wankhede even made the ICC World Cup Cricket 2011 Trophy, made of gold, accountable under law. The trophy was detained for a while at the Mumbai Airport as the custom duty was not paid for it. It was released only after officials paid the customs duty. While serving in the Customs Department, he also did not give clearance to goods which were brought by many celebrities, including Ram Gopal Varma and Anurag Kashyap, via airport unless and until they disclosed the goods bought in foreign currency and paid tax on it.
Gives NCB teeth
In the last two years after Wakhende joined NCB, drugs worth Rs 17,000 crore were seized by the agency. The NCB snooped on the drug mafia and seized both drugs and the ill-gotten financial proceeds made out of drug sales. The NCB made over 50 arrests of suppliers and consumers of drugs. For tax evasion, he has registered cases against more than 200 Bollywood celebrities so far.
He launched a strong offensive against the drug mafia with the Sushant Singh Rajaput death case. Many were questioned. Actress Rhea Chakraborty’s drugs conspiracy link in connection with the actor’s death was probed. Rhea was arrested later in connection with the case.
Drug mafia's target
Wankhede and his team of officers were attacked by a group of drug peddlers at Goregaon in Mumbai last November. He was attacked by around 60 people when he went there to arrest a notorious drug peddler. Though he was seriously injured in the attack, he tried to physically encounter the attackers and held his ground in the NCB operation. Finally, the Mumbai Police arrived on the scene and chased away the attackers.
Latest offensive
In an eight-hour operation, the NCB team led by Wankhede raided the passenger cruise ship anchored in Mumbai on Saturday and busted a party on board where drugs were being used. There were hundreds of passengers on the ship which was bound for Goa. He masqueraded as a passenger, sneaked into the ship along with his subordinates and led the NCB operations that saw the arrest of superstar Shah Rukh Khan's son.
