Who is NCB Officer Sameer Wankhede? actress wife Kranti Redkar, education to latest case
Sameer Wankhede, NCB’s Mumbai zone director, and Marathi actress, Kranti Redkar’s husband, is all over the news these days with his latest drug case of superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan. Before Narcotics Control Bureau, Wankhede served in the National Investigation Agency and in the Air Intelligence Unit.
Sameer Wankhede career and link with ‘high-profile cases’
It is not the first time that he has grabbed attention with a high-profile case, his stint began in the year 2007 when he was deployed as a customs officer at the Chattrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai. He made sure that every celebrity got their bags checked before leaving the airport.
He seems to have a strong connection with King Khan especially as he had even fined him a sum of Rs. 1.5 Lakh at the airport. Later on, at the customs and the service tax department, he took care of other celebrities like Vivek Oberoi, Mika Singh, Anurag Kashyap, and Ram Gopal Verma.
When Sameer Wankhede didn’t exempt the Golden WC Trophy
He also made sure that the 2011 World Cup trophy was released with duty from the airport. He has been involved in the investigation of almost all the big names of the Bollywood industry. From Deepika Padukone to now Aryan khan, he has continued to keep the industry under the radar.
His latest claims of being ‘spied’ on
The 2008-batch IRS officer has recently filed a complaint of being followed by some men in plain clothes even when he is on a trip to a crematorium in the Oshiwara suburban area, where his mother is buried. Wankhede has been visiting it since his mother’s demise in 2015.
The NCB Director booked his complaint with CCTV footage as proof, said he had come to know from his sources that he was being followed for many days. He has also requested police protection for him and his family as well.
Sushant Singh Rajput Case
Wankhede was also involved in the investigation of the much-hyped drug case of Rhea Chakraborty, after actor Sushant Singh Rajput hanged himself to death last year in June 2020. The NCB official has now taken over yet another high-profile case of Aryan Khan, where Aryan Khan has been rejected his bail plea four times already.
His verbal spat with Nawab Malik
Engaged in a war of words with NCP leader, Nawab Malik, he has debunked all of Malik’s allegations about him working for the BJP. The leader also called the raid ‘fake’. Wankhede had arrested Malik’s son-in-law in a drugs case earlier this year, and he was in jail for more than six months.
Sameer Wankhede Family
Coming from a family where his father was a police officer, Wankhede has been called the real ‘Singham’ by people. Speaking about her husband, Kranti Redkar said, “Sameer handles pressure very well. He knows all about our historical leaders and has grown up watching and knowing them”.
Wankhede’s father, Dnyandeo Wankhede, who is now a retired police officer is his ‘guiding light’ according to her, and Sameer goes straight to him whenever he needs help in making a huge decision in life.
His Excellence in Investigation
The NCB has also been questioned for focusing on small quantities of drugs from the time when Wankhede joined the Bureau in September 2020 to February 2021- with 12 out 30 cases registered as small seizures. Earlier the NCB only raided big factories that produced drugs. He recently received the ‘Maharashtra Sanman’ award for his excellence in the investigation.
Known for his no-nonsense attitude, Wankhede has lined up many high-profile celebrities for questioning since his commissioning at the Narcotics Control Bureau. Comedian Bharti Singh and her husband were even arrested for a short span after the couple was found in possession of drugs at their residence.
Wankhede is serving under a six-month extension as a zonal officer with NCB which is his second extension so far.
