INDIA. Mumbai: Former NCB Mumbai Zonal director Sameer Wankhede was quizzed by a team from the CBI, New Delhi, at the Mumbai office in an allegation of extorting Rs 25 crore from Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan in a Coredilia drugs-on-cruise case on Saturday. The inquiry will continue on Sunday.
Wankhede, who has been given interim relief from any coercive action by the Bombay High Court till Monday, reached the CBI office in South Mumbai at about 10.30 a.m. and was questioned for about five hours.
Questions asked by the CBI officers
According to well-placed sources, the CBI officers posed the following questions: How many times you spoke over the phone to Shahrukh Khan? Did you meet Shahrukh Khan in this case? If so, how many times? In what way you were trying to help Shahrukh Khan? Why Shahrukh Khan thanked you in a WhatsApp chat message? Do you have any information about a Rs 18 crore deal?
Why did you arrest Aryan Khan? How many times did you speak to Pooja Dadlani, the manager of Shahrukh Khan, after Aryan Khan was arrested and what was the talk? Who bore the expenses of your seven foreign trips in recent months? Your assets are disproportionate to your known source of income. How did you get so much money and from whom? How did you get watches worth lakhs of rupees?
It is alleged that you received Rs 12 lakh out of Rs 50 lakh received from Shahrukh Khan. What do you have to say? It is alleged that you spoke to Shahrukh Khan before Kiran Gosavi and Prabhakar Sail went to collect Rs 50 lakh from him. What you have to say about this? Nearly 27 people were involved in the Cordelia bust case.
Why only a few were arrested? It is alleged that the others were late off after receiving money. What is the truth? Kiran Gosavi has maintained that he went ahead with the money deal based on your instructions. What do you have to say about this?
In his affidavit before the Bombay High Court, Wankhede made it clear that no corruption was involved and that his chat with Shahrukh Khan was just plain talk. Besides, during the investigation of the case, all decisions were taken after consulting NCB Deputy Director General Dnyaneshwar Singh, who was given minute-to-minute updates about all the accused, including Aryan Khan.
Also Read: Aryan Khan Case: CBI FIR Says Sameer Wankhede Demanded 25 Crore from SRK
