NCB says Aryan Khan was deliberately targeted in drugs case, asks for action against Wankhede

Mumbai, Oct 19: Almost a year after Aryan Khan was arrested in a drug case, an investigating team of the Narcotics Control Bureau has said that the Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan's son was 'deliberately' targeted and also alleged 'suspicious behaviour' of some agency officers.

Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan's son Aryan Khan was "deliberately" targeted" in the Cordelia cruise drugs case by the Narcotics Control Bureau, claims the report submitted by the vigilance department of the anti-drug agency on Tuesday.

It has also found the irregularities and "suspicious behaviour" on the part of seven to eight officers of the agency in the investigation, according to a report in ANI.

"The investigation team of NCB has found the role of 7 to 8 NCB officers suspicious in this case. The Vigilance team of NCP found in its investigation that the Aryan Khan case was not investigated properly as Aryan Khan was deliberately targeted and why it was done is not yet known," the NCB report said.

The investigation was headed by Sameer Wankhede. The federal anti-drug agency had instituted an inquiry after several lacunae were found in the probe of the alleged drug seizure from a cruise ship last October.

Last year, Aryan Khan was arrested on October 3 after the NCB raided a Goa-bound cruise ship off the Mumbai coast and claimed to have recovered drugs from some persons. He was given bail after 25 days in jail.

The report has also pointed out deficiencies in the investigation of other cases and recommended action against the officers posted in the unit of Mumbai NCB, including Sameer Wankhede.

Apart from Aryan Khan's case, deficiencies were also seen in the investigation of other cases, the report of all these has been sent by the Vigilance team to the Delhi Headquarters. The vigilance team in its report has also recommended action against the officers posted in the unit of Mumbai NCB, including the name of the zonal director of Mumbai NCB.

The federal anti-drug agency video-recorded the statements of 65 people during the inquiry, he said.

Questions were also raised about the intention of the officers involved in the investigation and some people were found to have changed their statements many times, an official told PTI. "We did not find any kind of extortion bid in this case," he added.

It had been alleged that NCB officials were trying to extort money from some accused for letting them off the hook.

There was "selective treatment" and procedural lapses during the probe, the official said. The report recommended action against erring officers including those who were deputed to the NCB at the time, he said.

After Aryan Khan and five others got clean chit in the case, the Central Government directed the competent authority to take appropriate action against Wankhede for his shoddy investigation.