2011: When Wankhede stopped Shah Rukh at Mumbai airport customs

Wankhede was at the time assistant commissioner of customs stationed at the airport. Shah Rukh, who had at least 20 bags, was questioned for several hours, and his luggage was checked by Wankhede's team for possible evasion of duty.

The arrest of his son Aryan isn’t Shah Rukh Khan’s first brush with Sameer Wankhede, zonal director of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in Mumbai. More than a decade ago, the officer had stopped Shah Rukh at Mumbai airport, leading to the actor being made to pay customs duty.

In July 2011, after Shah Rukh landed in the city with his family after a trip to Holland and London, Wankhede stopped and questioned him for allegedly not declaring foreign goods that attracted duty.

Wankhede was at the time assistant commissioner of customs stationed at the airport. Shah Rukh, who had at least 20 bags, was questioned for several hours, and his luggage was checked by Wankhede’s team for possible evasion of duty.

The actor and his family were ultimately allowed to leave; he was subsequently asked to pay Rs 1.5 lakh in customs duty.

During his time with the airport customs, Wankhede also detained several other celebrities, including actors Anushka Sharma and Minissha Lamba, and singer Mika Singh for alleged mis-declaration of goods, mostly jewellery and foreign currency.

Anushka was stopped in July 2011 for allegedly carrying undeclared diamond jewellery worth Rs 40 lakh while returning from Toronto to India. Mika was detained at the airport by Wankhede in 2013 for allegedly carrying foreign currency beyond the limit prescribed under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).

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