Sameer Wankhede (born 14 December 1979) is an Indian Bureaucrat and

Indian Revenue Service The Indian Revenue Service (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ), often abbreviated as IRS, is a civil service that is primarily responsible for tax collection, collecting and administering Direct tax, direct and indir ...

officer of 2008 batch. Until 2021, he worked as Zonal Director of the

Narcotics Control Bureau The Narcotics Control Bureau ( NCB) is an Indian central law enforcement and intelligence agency under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. The agency is tasked with combating drug trafficking and the use of illegal substances ...

(NCB). Prior to joining NCB, Wankhede worked with the

National Investigation Agency The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is the principal counter-terrorism law enforcement agency in India. Established under the National Investigation Agency Act, 2008, it is tasked with investigating and combating offenses related to terroris ...

and the Air Intelligence Unit. In 2021, Wankhede gained nation wide attention for his involvement in the drug case related to

Shah Rukh Khan Shah Rukh Khan (; born 2 November 1965), also known by the initialism SRK, is an Indian actor and film producer who works in Hindi cinema. Referred to in the media as the "Padishah, Baadshah of Bollywood" and "King Khan", he has Shah Rukh K ...

's son Aryan Khan.

Early life and education

Wankhede is a civil servant who works as an officer in the

Indian Revenue Service (Custom & Indirect Taxes) The Indian Revenue Service (Customs & Central Excise) (IAST: ), often abbreviated to ''IRS (Customs & Central Excise)'' or ''IRS (Customs & Indirect Taxes)'', now called IRS(C&IT) is a part of central civil service of the Government of India. ...

. He was born on 14 December 1979, in a middle-class

Mahar Mahar is one of the Indian caste found largely in the state of Maharashtra and neighbouring areas. Most of the Mahar community followed B. R. Ambedkar in converting to Buddhism in the middle of the 20th century. As of 2017 the Mahar caste w ...

family in

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. He completed his BA in 2001 from

Ramnarain Ruia College Ramnarain Ruia Autonomous College is a college affiliated to the University of Mumbai, in Matunga, Mumbai, India. It was established in June 1937. The University of Mumbai granted autonomous status to the college in 2017. It comprises the Ram ...

. During his formative years, Wankhede developed a keen interest in social issues and governance. After completing his primary and secondary education in Maharashtra, he enrolled in a reputed university to further his academic journey. He also graduated with a degree in

Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

from the

Mumbai University University of Mumbai is a public state university in Mumbai. It is one of the largest university systems in the world with over 549,000 students on its campuses and affiliated colleges. , the university had 711 affiliated colleges. It was est ...

reflecting his interest in legal matters and the judiciary system.

Career

Sameer Wankhede appeared for 2007 UPSC Civil Services Examination and secured an All India Rank (AIR) of 561 in his first attempt and then went on to join

batch of 2008. Thus becoming an

IRS The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting Taxation in the United States, U.S. federal taxes and administerin ...

officer. Throughout his career, Wankhede has held various positions in law enforcement agencies involved in drug enforcement. He has been actively involved in conducting raids, intelligence operations, and undercover investigations targeting drug traffickers and their networks. During his 15-year career he has been credited with seizure of 17,000 kg

narcotics The term narcotic (, from ancient Greek ναρκῶ ''narkō'', "I make numb") originally referred medically to any psychoactive compound with numbing or paralyzing properties. In the United States, it has since become associated with opiates ...

and 165 kg gold.

Zakir Naik case

Wankhede played a crucial role in booking Islamic preacher

Zakir Naik Zakir Abdul Karim Naik (born 18 October 1965) is an Indian Islamic da'i and orator who focuses on comparative religion. He is the founder and president of the Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) and Peace TV. He is a well-known figure in the Isl ...

for alleged money laundering and incitement of religious hatred.

Dawood Ibrahim's aide Chinku Pathan case

Chinku Pathan, known for his association with the infamous underworld don

Dawood Ibrahim Dawood Ibrahim (, ; born 26 December 1955) is an Indian mob boss, drug lord, and terrorist. He reportedly heads the Indian organised crime syndicate D-Company, which he founded in Mumbai in the 1970s. Ibrahim is wanted on charges including ...

, was a notorious figure in the world of crime. He was allegedly involved in various illegal activities, including drug trafficking, extortion, and violence. The operation was led by Wankhede and the arrest took place as part of an operation conducted by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).

Mika Singh Airport case

In February 2013, singer

Mika Singh Mika Singh (born 10 June 1977) is an Indian singer, rapper, musician and actor. His songs include "Bas Ek King" (''Singh Is Kinng''), "Mauja Hi Mauja" (''Jab We Met''), "Ibn-e-Batuta" (''Ishqiya''), "Dhanno" (''Housefull (2010 film), Housefull' ...

was detained when he tried to move out of Mumbai international airport without declaring over Rs 9 lakh after he arrived from Bangkok. Singh was detained by the customs' Air Intelligence Unit headed by Wankhede. Two liquor bottles, sunglasses and perfumes were found in Mika's bag.

Aryan Khan case and corruption allegations

Wankhede led the Cordelia case where a cruise ship was raided and Aryan Khan, the son of actor

was arrested on charges of drug use and possession. Aryan Khan spent 25 days in jail before being given bail. In May 2022 all charges against Khan were dropped, with Wankhede removed from the case after being accused of blackmail. He was transferred to

Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...

. On 8 September, Wankhede was cleared of bribery charges related to Aryan Khan. In May 2023, he was charged with corruption for allegedly demanding a 250 million rupee bribe from Khan. Wankhede denies the claims. A probe by India's

claimed that Wankhede had confiscated valuables from suspects without recording them, had manipulated CCTV footage and had lived a lifestyle of foreign holidays far beyond his means, including trips to luxury resorts in the Maldives.

South Mumbai drug laboratory case

Wankhede's investigation led the authorities to the clandestine drug laboratory operating in South Mumbai. This laboratory was not only involved in manufacturing illegal narcotics but also acted as a central hub for the distribution of drugs to various parts of the city and beyond. The drug cartel was found to be involved in producing and trafficking various types of narcotics, including synthetic drugs, cocaine, and MDMA (Ecstasy). The scale of the operation and the volume of drugs being circulated raised serious concerns among law enforcement agencies and policymakers. The agency had seized 12 kilograms of mephedrone, a pistol and cash ₹2.18 crore.

Bipasha Basu Airport case

Actress

Bipasha Basu Bipasha Basu (born 7 January 1979) is an Indian actress. Primarily known for her work in Hindi films, she List of awards and nominations received by Bipasha Basu, has received a Filmfare Awards, Filmfare Award. In the 2000s and 2010s, she was ...

was stopped at

Mumbai International Airport Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport is the international airport serving Mumbai, the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the second-busiest airport in India in terms of total and international passenger traffic a ...

after arriving from London in 2011 by Sameer Wankhede's team and fined Rs 12,000 for not declaring imported valuables worth Rs 6 million. She had allegedly not declared footwear, designer sunglasses and handbags.

Personal life

He is married to Marathi actress Kranti Redkar. From his first marriage with Dr. Shabana Qureshi, he has a son, and from his second marriage, two daughters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wankhede, Sameer Indian government officials Living people 1979 births People from Mumbai