India, March 24 -- Former zonal director of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Sameer Wankhede, told the Bombay High Court on Monday that he had neither demanded nor accepted a bribe from Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan in connection with the Cordelia cruise drugs bust, which involved the actor's son, Aryan Khan. "The FIR is restricted to demand of money by a private individual, not me," said Wankhede.

Wankhede was booked for bribery in May 2023 for allegedly conspiring to extort Rs.25 crore from Shah Rukh Khan in lieu of allowing Aryan Khan off the hook after the October 2021 drugs bust on the cruise ship. He was later accused of accepting a bribe of Rs.50 lakh from the actor.

Wankhede has challenged the first information report (FIR) r...