The CBI has registered a corruption case against former Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officer Sameer Wankhede, who had arrested actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan in an alleged drugs-on-cruise case two years ago.

Aryan was released from jail after 26 days, with Bombay High Court ruling that there was no evidence against him. The NCB later said no drugs had been found on Aryan and dropped all charges against him.

The CBI has now alleged that Wankhede had hatched a "criminal conspiracy" to extort Rs 25 crore from the family of the accused in "Case No. 94/2021 of Mumbai Zone" with the threat of "accusation of offences of possession of Narcotics Substances".

Aryan and two others were the accused in Case No. 94.

A "token" bribe of Rs 50 lakh was extorted, the CBI has added.

The CBI statement said it had "registered a case against Sameer Wankhede, IRS, the then Zonal Director, NCB, Mumbai Zone Unit, Shri Vishwa Vijay Singh, then superintendent (NCB), Ashish Ranjan, then intelligence officer of Mumbai Zonal Unit, NCB and two private persons — K.P. Gosavi and Sanvile D’Souza — and unknown others under relevant Sections of PC Act and IPC."

The case was registered on complaint from NCB Delhi, the CBI added.

"It has been alleged that the said officials of Narcotics Control Bureau of Mumbai Zone, in order to obtain undue advantage from the persons/ others in the Case No. 94/2021 of Mumbai Zone, earlier registered & investigated under the supervision of Wankhede, had entered into criminal conspiracy with others and had allegedly obtained undue advantage in the form of bribes from the alleged accused of Case No. 94/2021 of NCB Mumbai Zone.

"It has also been alleged that the said persons entered into conspiracy in order to extort an amount of Rs 25 crore (approx) from the family members of the alleged accused of the Case No. 94/2021 of NCB, Mumbai, by threatening them of the accusation of offences of possession of Narcotics Substances as per the alleged directions of then Zonal Director being the Supervisory Officer. A token amount of Rs 50 lakh as bribe was allegedly obtained in furtherance of this conspiracy by the said persons."

Wankhede and the others have been booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act, and Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 388 (extortion by threat) of the IPC.