Aryan Khan case: details of NCB's probe report on former officer Sameer Wankhede

As the grip of CBI and NCB on former anti-narcotics officer Sameer Wankhede gets tighter in the Aryan Khan drugs case, the details of findings of a probe conducted by a Special Enquiry Team (SET) have emerged.

The report which resulted in CBI initiating a case against Wankhede and others for allegedly attempting to extort ₹25 crores from Shah Rukh Khan to secure the release of his son, was accessed by several media outlets.

The key findings of the SET report are as follows:

Procedural lapses in Aryan Khan's custody

Aryan Khan and Arbaaz Merchant were brought to the NCB office in a private vehicle belonging to KP Gosavi
The audio recording of Aryan Khan by KP Gosavi raised concerns about procedural lapses

Modification of information note

The information note was altered at the last moment.
Names of Aryan Khan and Arbaaz Merchant included
Other suspects' names dropped

Lack of documents

No formal documents were prepared for the seizure of phones, valuables
Compromise on the custody details of vital evidence

Examination of Siddarth Shah

Siddarth Shah, identified as a drugs supplier by Arbaaz, was allowed to go scot-free by NCB despite clear evidence against him

Manipulated CCTV footage

CCTV equipment and footage collected by SET from the NCB office were found to be corrupt
Discrepancies found in the DVR and hard disk provided by the NCB Mumbai office

Dubious foreign visits

Wankhede and his family's private foreign visits under scanner
6 private foreign visits between 2017 and 2021
Declared expenses significantly lower than actual cost, suggesting misrepresentations

Disproportionate expenses and assets

Sameer bought a Rolex Gold watch at a much lower price than its retail price
Wankhede's income, as per Income Tax Returns, was found to be considerably lower than the expenses incurred by him