Sameer Wankhede, the Narcotics Control Bureau’s Mumbai zonal chief, who found himself in a pickle after Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan was arrested in the drugs-on-cruise case, is not going to seek an extension of his term, which expires on December 31, 2021. Wankhede has been on deputation to the NCB since September 2020, and during his time there, he worked to dismantle the suspected Bollywood-drugs ring. Starting with actor Rhea Chakraborty, the NCB, led by Sameer Wankhede, probed and detained a number of Bollywood celebrities for drug-related offences.

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The Aryan Khan issue sparked a firestorm when Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik accused Sameer Wankhede of extortion, among other violations in the central agency’s operation. 

Nawab Malik also accused Sameer Wankhede of fraud, stating that he was a Muslim who took advantage of the OBC quota by using a counterfeit certificate. While the claims against Wankhede are being investigated, Wankhede’s feud with Nawab Malik has reached the courts. Meanwhile, the NCB Mumbai reassigned numerous high-profile cases, including Aryan Khan’s and Nawab Malik’s son-in- law’s, to a special investigation team constituted by the head office.

Wankhede detained 96 people and filed 28 cases between August and December 2020. According to the NCB, Wankhede made 234 arrests in 2021, registered 117 cases, recovered over 1,791 kg of drugs worth around 1,000 crore, and froze properties worth over 11 crore. 

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Before joining the NCB, Sameer Wankhede, an Indian Revenue Service officer from the 2008 batch, worked for the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence. He was also recognised as a taskmaster in past capacities. When Wankhede was working for the Customs Department in 2011, he stopped Shah Rukh Khan at the airport and fined him 1.5 lakh for having too much luggage.