A Mumbai court on Sunday sent Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan‘s son Aryan Khan, Arbaz Seth Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha to one-day NCB custody in alleged connection with the seizure of banned drugs onboard a cruise ship off the Mumbai coast last night.
All three were arrested this evening and were produced before a special holiday court of additional metropolitan magistrate R K Rajebhosale. Later in the day, the remaining five accused were also held and will be produced before the court on Monday after their medical test.
The NCB had sought custody of the accused for two days on the ground that the investigation is at a nascent stage. The anti-drug agency said 13 grams of cocaine, 5 grams of MD, 21 grams of charas and MDMA and Rs 1,33,000 in cash were recovered during the search operation. Eight persons were apprehended in this operation, the NCB said.
“The court granted 1 day NCB custody of the three accused. They will be produced again before the honorable court tomorrow for their judicial custody. Further, remaining 5 accused namely Nupur Satija, Ishmeet Singh Chadha, Mohak jaiswal, Gomit Chopra and Vikrant Chhokar were arrested later today and will be produced before the honorable ACMM Court tomorrow after their medical,” the NCB said in a statement.
Based on a tip-off that a party was scheduled on the ship, an NCB team, led by its zonal director Sameer Wankhede, had raided the Goa-bound Cordelia cruise ship and recovered drugs from some of the passengers.
Aryan Khan’s advocate Satish Manshinde argued that his client does not even have a ticket. “According to the department, though nothing has been found on him, only based on chats the NCB feels he can be implicated. I am willing to settle for one day remand,” the advocate said, adding, “He has been treated well and there is no harassment.”
Maneshinde told the court that his client was not found in possession, nor did he lie about consumption and does not have any connection to those people that NCB is suggesting. Maneshinde said he would now file an application seeking bail for Aryan Khan. “Since it’s a bailable offence. All three accused moving for immediate bail,” he said.
Meanwhile, Arbaaz and Munmun’s lawyer said the remand application no where states that how much quantity was recovered from accused 1, 2 or 3. “So it’s vague and it’s my right to get bail,” the lawyer said.
Aryan Khan has been booked under sections 27 (punishment for consumption of any narcotic drug or psychotropic substance), 8C (produce, manufacture, possess, sell or purchase of drugs) and other relevant provisions of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS).
