Updated July 15, 2022
Sameer Wankhede is a 2008 batch, IRS (Indian Revenue Service) officer with many awards under his belt. As Zonal Director of the NCB Sameer has been in controversial media glare largely due to allegations made by Nawab Malik, minister Maharashtra govt. in Aryan Khan’s case. Mr. Wankhede served the NCB until Dec 31st 2021 when he was recalled to DRI reportedly for administrative reasons.
Controversies seem to often surround Sameer Wankhede. Aryan Khan’s arrest (Oct. 2nd 2021) in cruise drug case also proved highly controversial to him. Mr. Wankhede has led many raids cracking down on drug peddlers in Mumbai and areas nearby. He has also led NCB in Sushant Singh Rajput’s suicide case from Sept 2020 onwards.
Sameer Wankhede is known to be a tough enforcement official and has earned praises from across the quarters. Team Career101, tried digging more into Sameer’s Biography, career, Caste, Net Worth, parents, wife etc. to come up with the instant post. Please read on.
Sameer Wankhede- A Factsheet
Team career101 tried gathering information on Mr. Sameer Wankhede which you might be googling for. And, why not? He is such a civil servant who has always been in media debate for various reasons largely for unfettered work ethics. Have a look on the factsheet below:
I. Sameer Wankhede’s Family Members
Father: Mr. Dnyandev Wankhede, wife: Kranti Redkar, two daughters: Zyda & Ziya, sister: Yasmeen and a son from ex- wife Shabana are in the family of Sameer Wankhede.
II. Personal Details of Sameer Wankhede
- Name: Sameer Dnyandev Wankhede (Retd. Police Officer)
- D.O.B: 14.12.1979 (As per Civil list CBIC)
- Zodiac: Sagittarius
- Place of Birth: Mumbai
- Religion: Hindu
- Caste: Marathi Kunbi (Scheduled Caste)
- Alma Mater: St. Paul School Dadar, St. Joseph School Wadala (College Not Available in Public Domain)
- Edu. Qualification: B.A. History (As per Civil list CBIC)
- Father: Dnyandev Kachruji Wankhede
- Mother: Late Zaheda Wankhede
- Sister: Yasmeen Wankhede (Criminal lawyer)
- Wife: Kranti Redkar (T.V. Actress)
- Ex-wife: Dr. Shabana Qureshi (Divorced in 2016)
- Son: Athier Wankhede (from his first wife)
- Daughter(s): Zyda & Ziya (Twins)
- Net Worth: Not accurate (Approx 15 Cr.)
III. Professional Career Details
- Profession: IRS officer (under CBIC, Min. of Finance)
- UPSC Batch: CSE 2007, passed out 2008
- His UPSC Roll No: 25142
- UPSC Merit Rank – 561
- Service Allocation: IRS (C&CE)
- Govt. Employee Code: 3632
- Govt. Hierarchy: Joint Commissioner
- Salary: Rs. 1.25 lakh+ (pay band: Rs. 15,600 – Rs. 39,100)
IV. Awards and Honours to Sameer Wankhede
- Maharashtra Sanman
- Directorate General Disc in August 2019
- Jamadar Bapu Lakshman Award for Outstanding Public Service
- Union Home Minister’s Medal for Excellence in Investigation” 2021
V. Posting/Positions Held by Sameer
- IB (Intelligence Bureau) officer 2006 (non UPSC position), Andhra & Delhi
- AC/DC, Customs Air Intelligence Unit, Mumbai- 2010- 13
- DC, Central Excise & Service Tax, Mumbai- 2013
- Jt. Director, National Investigation Agency (NIA), Mumbai- 2013 to 2017
- Jt. Director, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Mumbai- 2017-20
- Zonal Director, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Mumbai- Aug 31st, 2020
Latest News on Sameer Wankhede 2022
Deputation of Sameer Wankhede at NCB Mumbai ended on Dec. 31st 2021 and he reported back to DRI from where he was picked on ‘loan’ basis. It was drug angle in Sushant Singh’s death that necessitated Sameer’s service in NCB last year. Sameer’s position was taken over by Brijendra Chaudhary an IRS 2009 batch. On 30th of May, 2022 he stood transferred to DG Tax Payers, Chennai.
Former Mumbai NCB Zonal director Sameer Wankhede transferred from Mumbai to Chennai
— ANI (@ANI) May 30, 2022
Earlier he was a part of investigation of the drugs-on-cruise case, Mumbai
(File photo) pic.twitter.com/q6hiVdUuOe
Tweet Source: ANI Twitter
Life, Family & Career of Sameer Wankhede
Family
Sameer Wankhede was born on 14th December 1979 in Mumbai, India. He is Zonal Director of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in the country. His father is Dnyandeo Wankhede and mother’s name is Zaheda Wankhede (late). Sameer is currently living with his second wife, Kranti Redkar.
Mr. Wankhede has two twin daughters named Ziya and Zyda from Kranti. His first marriage was with Shabana Quraishi. But they got separated and later, Sameer married Kranti Redkar, a Marathi television actress. Sameer’s Sister Yasmeen Wankhede is a criminal lawyer.
Career
Sameer was allocated IRS (C&CE) under CBEC(now CBIC) after qualifying UPSC, CSE 2007. During 2010-13 he served as Assistant Commissioner, Customs in Air Intelligence unit(AIU) of CSMI Airport, Mumbai.
Leading the AIU team of customs, he took on many high & mighty who tried evading taxes. Sameer booked many seizure cases of gold and currency at International Airport. His first stint itself, as a civil servant earned him a big prominence.
After serving in AIU, Sameer was on deputation to NIA as the additional SP of the National Investigation Agency. Upon promotion he returned to become Joint commissioner of DRI (Directorate of Revenue Intelligence), a leading investigation agency under CBIC.
Since Sept 2020, he has been serving as the Zonal Director of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on deputation. Ever since, he and his team has undertaken several raids to confiscate the drugs and other psychotropics. As per reports raids led by him has busted drug transactions amounting to thousands of crores.
Awards and Honours to Mr. Wankhede
Sameer Wankhede has won many awards and honours for his his works. He was recently awarded Sanman 2021 by the Governor of Maharashtra and Goa Bhagat Singh Koshiyari. Moreover, he has been awarded Jamadar Bapu Lakshman award for “Most Outstanding Contribution in Public Service”.
He also received Directorate General Disc in August 2019. Mr. Sameer also figured among 152 investigation Personnel who got Union Home Minister’s Medal for Excellence in Investigation” for the year 2021.
Recent Controversies as to Sameer Wankhede
Sameer Wankhede has been one of the few govt officials whose actions often land into controversy. To Sameer, controversies have stayed with him ever since he started out his career with AIU, Customs. At Mumbai Airport, he tried to drive the law home to many celebrities creating a lot of buzz.
In Sushant Singh Rajput’s case angles pointing the role of other celebrities also made huge controversy. Interestingly, none of his cases remained aloof from controversy. Although, the colleagues, friends & family claim that Sameer is an honest and hard-working officer but, Mallik’s allegations in Aryan case fueled a next level debate.
After the arrest of Star Kid, Sameer faced backlashes from the Shahrukh’s fans and Bollywood Industry. Bollywood alleged that NCB is targeting only celebrities for industry being soft target. To add, Nawab Malik entered the scene and levelled serious allegations against Sameer Wankhede.
Undeterred Sameer however stayed the course of investigation, though. His Colleagues including a Customs Superintendent confide that controversies cannot distract him. Sameer’s inner Circle hold him as the likes of Ajit Doval for India.
Net Worth of Sameer Wankhede: The Rumours & Facts
Net worth of Sameer Wankhede has caught public attention Nawab Malik claims. As per claims of minister Malik, Sameer Wankhede wears trousers worth Rs 1 lakh, Shirts worth Rs. 70K and watches of Rs. 25-30 lakh. Accordingly, it is important to take a dive into the issue of Net worth of Sameer Wankhede.
There are divergent views on possessions and Net Worth of Sameer Wankhede but as per this report by ABP live, Mr. Sameer has share in 4 Acre ancestral land situated in Washim district of Maharashtra. Sameer has two flats of 800 sqft and 700 sqft purchased by her mother in 1994 and 1999 respectively.
He also has an office space of 1000 Sqft inherited from his deceased aunt. Mr. Wankhede has also a land plot of 1100 Sqft in Navi Mumbai. He has also bought a third flat in 2016 reportedly from proceeds of a flat owned by Kranti and LIC money. Apart, Sameer’s watch priced at Rs 55,000 is a gift from his mother.
Considering the property value in Mumbai and around, Sameer Wankhede’s net worth could work out to Rs. 15 Cr. If the information about Sameer’s property available in public domain are true, claims of his acquiring disproportionate assets has no merit. Allegations of extorting money also seems having no merit as per findings of Police of state.
Cases by Sameer Wankhede that Brought Him in Media Glare
According to the media reports, Sameer led the raid on 2nd October 2021 on Cordelia Cruise’s Empress Ship and nabbed Aryan along with his companions. Raid on Cordelia is one of the many cases booked during his entire job stints. Let us recall few case which brought him to Media lights.
World Cup Trophy Case
In 2011, while working at Mumbai Airport, the 2011 World Cup Trophy was detained by the customs as it was made up of Gold. Sameer made sure that the tax amount was paid to allow the trophy to enter the country.
Mika Singh Case
In 2013, Sameer Wankhede had detained Mika Singh, the famous Punjabi Singer. Mika was returning from Bangkok with $11,000 and INR 2.7 Lakh in cash and liquor bottles worth Rs. 53,000. According to Customs law, an individual flying from another country and carrying more than $5,000 is supposed to declare the amount to Customs Officer at Airport. Mika without declaring his stuff was walking green channel which hence violated the law.
Service Tax & Celebrities
Sameer as Deputy Commissioner to Service Tax in 2013 had raided many from Bollywood for tax evasions including: Vivek Oberoi, Anurag Kashyap and Ram Gopal Varma.
Shahrukh Khan Stopped
During his second stint at Mumbai international airport in 2016, stopped super star Shah Rukh, who was carrying excess baggage and fined Rs 1.5 lakh as Customs duty.
Sushant Singh Death
After Sameer took over as Zonal director in 2019, the lesser-known NCB office in south Mumbai became a news maker. Sushant’s death on June 14, 2020 a row of questioning started out under Sameer’s lead role. Rhea Chakraborty, Deepika Padukone, Shraddha Kapoor, Sara Ali Khan and Rakul Preet Singh were popular figures.
Bharati Singh Case
Sammer Wankhade nabbed Bharti Singh and her husband, Harsh Libachiyaa, for the consumption and possession of cannabis in November 2020. The team recovered 86 grams of cannabis from their home. They were arrested under provisions of NDPS ACT.
Malad Bakery Case
On june 12th 2021 NCB launched an operation at Malad, Mumbai and busted a marijuana/pot cake making bakery and seized a total 830 grams Edible Weed Pot Brownie @ Edible Cannabis & 160 grams of Marijuana and intercepted 03 persons including 01 lady.
NCB was also successful in intercepting main supplier in the case namely Jagat chaurasia at Bandra along with 125 gram of Marijuana. The case was important in the sense, as this revealed a new trend among young generation of consuming substances through Brownie Weed Pot cakes which is mixed and baked accordingly. This was the first case in India in which the Edible Weed was used for baking Cake.
Aryan & friends’ Case
On Oct. 2nd 2021, Sameer and his team carried out a raid on the cruise ship and busted a high-profile drug party. In this case, Aryan Khan (son of Shahrukh Khan), along with two of his friends, Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha, were arrested by the NCB team. Section 8(c), 2. Section 20(b), Section 27, Section 35 of NDPS Act are the provisions, invoking of which led the arrests.
Questions Mostly Asked about Sameer Wankhede
Ans: Mumbai born, Sameer Wankhede is an IRS(C&CE) officer and made it through CSE 2007. As Zonal Director of NCB (Narcotics Control Bureau) he has been in wide controversy. Sameer has worked for Customs, NIA, DRI, CE & ST.
Ans: Dr. Shabana Qureshi, a Gynaecologist Mumbai, has been Sameer Wankhede’s first Wife. The couple got separated in 2016 through legal proceedings and Sameer married Kranti Redkar, a Marathi actress in 2017, his second wife.
Ans: Dnyandev Kachruji Wankhede is Sameer’s father, a Hindu and late Zaheeda Wankhede is his mother who passed away in 2015.
Ans: Yes, Transfer of Sameer Wankhede took effect on expiry of his deputation terms at NCB Mumbai on Dec. 31st 2021 and he has reported back to DRI from where he was taken on ‘loan’ basis.
Ans: Yes, a son from first wife Shabana and two daughters (Twins) from second wife Kranti. Ziya and Zyda and two twin daughters of Sameer Wankhede.
Ans: Yasmeen Wankhede is Sameer Wankhede’s sister younger to him and she is a criminal lawyer. Yasmeen has done her LLB from SNDT women’s University and Journalism from Mithibai College.
Ans: No, Sameer Wankhede is NOT an IPS officer; he is an IRS (Indian Revenue Officer). Kranti Redkar’s husband Sameer Wankhede is an IPS officer is a mere misconception. Of course, he opted deputation postings in NIA and CBI to work in the role of IPS officer and hence enjoyed power of police officer too. It seems, Sameer’s working has created a misconception of him being an IPS officer.
Ans: No! Sameer Wankhede is NOT targeting Bollywood or any particular community and he has clarified it repeatedly that he only goes by the ‘rule-book’. Out of 3000 cases booked at Customs by him only a fraction of it pertained to Bollywood. Of course, even a single case relating to Bollywood grabs the media attention and makes the news.
Ans: Late Zaheda was into trading of scraps and also used to run an NGO by name Durga and an Orphanage as well. Reports says that she was spiritually inspired, her father was from Murthal Haryana and mother was from Surat. As per reports both grand parents of Sameer came from well off families.
Ans: “I belong to a composite, multi-religious and secular family in true Indian tradition and I am proud of my heritage. I married Dr. Shabana Qureshi in 2006 under the Special Marriage Act, 1954; both of us divorced mutually though, in the year 2016. Later, in the year 2017, I married Kranti Dinanath Redkar.”
Ans: “The publishing of my personal documents on Twitter is defamatory in nature and unnecessary invasion of my family privacy. It is intended to malign me, my family, my father and my late mother. The series of acts of Hon’ble Minister have put me and my family under tremendous mental and emotional pressure. I am pained by the nature of personal, defamatory and slanderous attacks.“
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