Drug bust: Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan, two others sent to NCB custody till Monday

Aryan Khan, the son of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, has been sent to NCB custody till tomorrow (Monday, 4 October) along with his friends Munmun Dhamecha and Arbaaz Merchant. Aryan, Dhamecha and Merchant were arrested this evening and were produced before a special holiday court of additional metropolitan magistrate RK Rajebhosale. Advait Sethna, the advocate for the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), sought custody of the accused for two days on the ground that the investigation is at a nascent stage and more raids were being carried out to apprehend the supplier of drugs. Aryan Khan’s advocate Satish Maneshinde argued that his client was invited to the event being held on the cruise by the organisers. “No incriminating material has been recovered from him (Aryan). There is no possession or evidence of consumption,” he said. Maneshinde said he would file an application seeking bail for Aryan Khan on Monday. “Although the sections under which he (Aryan) has been booked are all bailable offences. I am willing to settle for a one-day NCB custody so that we can file for bail before the regular court,” he said. Aryan was arrested under Section 8C, 20B, 27 read with 35 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, as per  LiveMint.  As per PTI, advocate Satish Maneshinde represented Aryan Khan in court. As per India Today,  Aryan has, in a written statement, denied that he purchased the drugs. The statements of Nupur Sarika, Ismeet Singh, Mohak Jaswal, Vikrant Chhoker and Gomit Chopra, are also being recorded, after which they are likely to be placed under arrest, as per India Today. As per  NDTV, Shah Rukh Khan was seen leaving his home and heading for his lawyer’s office shortly before the arrest was confirmed. Meanwhile, the cruise company in a statement on Sunday said it had nothing to do with this incident. “Cordelia Cruises is in no way, directly or indirectly, connected to this incident. Cordelia Cruises had chartered its ship for a private event to a Delhi-based event management company,” Jurgen Bailom, Chief Executive Officer and President, Waterways Leisure Tourism Pvt Ltd said in the statement. Cordelia Cruises is “extremely mindful” of providing wholesome entertainment to families who choose to travel with it, he said, adding, “this incident is contrarian and far from the culture that Cordelia Cruises represents.” “We, at Cordelia Cruises, condemn all acts such as these and will strictly refrain from letting our ship out for similar events in the future. Nonetheless, Cordelia Cruises is extending our full support and cooperating with the authorities,” it added. Union minister Ramdas Athawale on Sunday said anybody involved in such wrong acts should face severe punishment. Speaking to reporters at Ulhasnagar in the Thane district, Athawale said he would request Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray to ensure that the state and Mumbai are rid of drugs. “After the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, the cases of drugs in the film industry have come to light. The film industry is plagued with (the misuse of) drugs. We want Maharashtra and Mumbai to be free of drugs. We will raise this demand with the CM,” he said. Earlier today, NCB had detained 13 persons, including three women, and summoned six of the organisers who had planned the cruise party.

#WATCH | Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) detained at least 10 persons during a raid conducted at a party being held on a cruise in Mumbai yesterday

(Visuals from outside NCB office) pic.twitter.com/yxe2zWfFmI

— ANI (@ANI) October 2, 2021

As per sources, a rave party was busted aboard the cruise Cordelia ship anchored off the coast of Mumbai where drugs were being used, an official said on Sunday. The NCB Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede , along with his team, boarded the cruise ship after receiving a tip-off about the purported drug party from the CISF. With multiple NCB officers undercover as guests on the cruise, sources informed that NCB’s raid on the cruise ship went on for over seven hours. The cruise was bound from Mumbai to Goa on 2 October. During the operation, all suspects were searched for drugs and MDMA/ ecstasy, cocaine, MD (Mephedrone) and charas were recovered. “The detainees have been brought to the NCB office in south Mumbai and questioned till early morning,” an official said. NCB Mumbai has registered crime number Cr 94/21 under the NDPS Act in this matter. The statements of the detainees were also recorded. Those who have only consumed narcotics and not traded will be produced before the special NDPS court at 11 am. “If the quantity is not huge they can get bail under NDPS Act but they will need to sign a bond”, said a source from Mumbai NCB. NCB is currently investigating the source of the drugs and how it got on board. “Few are regular users but often get their friends to supply them such drugs who get it from others. The investigation will take a while since it’s a long supply chain,” added the source. NCB sources said Aryan Khan’s phone has been seized and is being scanned by the authorities to check for any indication of his involvement in the possession or consumption of drugs. The narcotics bureau is investigating the chats received on the phones that have been seized from the drug bust. As per an India Today report, Aryan Khan was invited as a guest to the Mumbai cruise ship party. He did not have to pay for entry. During questioning, he revealed that organisers of the event had invited others using his name. The three girls, who have been detained, had arrived from Delhi to join the cruise party include the daughters of some prominent businessmen. As per the India Today report, the rave party began once the cruise left the coast of Mumbai and reached mid-sea. The event, named Cray’Ark, was organised by _FashionTV Indi_a with Namascray onboard the Cordelia, an Indian cruise liner. The organisers, for the first day, had promised musical performances by Miami-based DJ Stan Kolev along with famous DJ’s Bullzeye, Browncoat and Deepesh Sharma. On Day 2, from 1 pm to 8 pm, an FTV pool party was organised for the guests. During the pool party, Raoul K, a DJ from Ivory Coast, was supposed to perform along with Indian DJ Kohra and Moroccan artist Kayza. After 8 pm, FTV’s Champagne all-black party was organised for the special guests. Later that night, from 10 pm to 7 am, electronic music circuits by HOSH Space Motion and others were supposed to perform for the guests. [caption id=“attachment_10020471” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  Image of the invite to the Cray’Ark event. Image courtesy: News18[/caption] Meanwhile, talking to reporters at the entrance of the NCB office, Wankhede said, “We have intercepted some persons and their investigation is on. It will be premature to say anything as of now.” When asked about the names of the detained persons linked to a celebrity, he refused to comment. Earlier on Friday, the NCB had seized 4.600 kilograms of Ephedrine worth Rs 5 crore in Mumbai’s Andheri. The contraband that was sourced from Hyderabad and was destined to Australia via Mumbai was concealed in a consignment containing three mattresses, officials informed on Friday.