The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), in its remand application seeking custody of Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan’s 23-year-old son Aryan Khan and two others, said that the agency has found links in the form of pictures, chats etc on Aryan’s mobile phone pointing towards an international drug trafficking chain. Officials claimed in the remand plea to have found “shocking incriminating material” on Aryan’s phone.
The NCB had arrested eight persons following a raid carried out on a cruise liner on Saturday night. The Esplanade court after a three-hour hearing extended the remand of Aryan and the two others in NCB custody till October 7. In a separate order, it also granted NCB custody of the five other arrested accused till the 7th.
The NCB said that in its scrutiny of Aryan’s mobile phone, “there are several suspected characters, whose identification is still to be established by accused Aryan Khan.” The application, parts of which were read out by additional solicitor general Anil Singh who appeared for NCB with advocates Aditya Thakkar, Shriram Shirsat and Advait Sethna, said, “Prima facie investigation conducted reveals that there is incriminating material in form of WhatsApp chat etc clearly showing the nexus of these respondents with suppliers and drug peddlers on a regular basis.” In his order, the additional chief metropolitan magistrate noted the NCB case against the trio was “of involvement, of consumption, sale and purchase of contraband” and they were “arrested in connection with seizure of 13 gram of cocaine, 5 gram of MD, 21 grams of charas and 22 pills of MDMA and Rs133,000 in cash.” The NCB wants to confront the accused with others over the “shocking information from Aryan and incriminating material from his phone showing pics chats pointing towards international supply needs to be investigated,” the magistrate recorded in his order. It also noted that Aryan’s counsel Satish Maneshinde said whatever was recovered was from the ship and nothing from him.
Singh said the chats showing links to an international drug chain may need probing, and NCB may take help from other agencies for its probe. He also said a new arrest of a supplier was made after a fresh raid. “In the raid we found commercial quantities of drugs,” Singh said, adding, “nowadays it has become common to see persons and college students taking drugs. Young people consider these high-profile people as role models. Unless we probe the person doing drugs, how can we find the source of the drugs, the suppliers and financiers to break the racket.”
Others arrested along with Aryan were his friend and film actor Arbaz Merchant, and Munmun Dhamecha. Dhamecha is said to be the daughter of a businessman from Madhya Pradesh, and Merchant the son of a timber businessman. Others are Nupur Satija, Ishmeet Chadha, Mohak Jaiswal, Gomit Chopra and Vikrant Chhokar. An official however, said that Aryan has been booked only for consumption under Section 27 of the NDPS Act, which attracts a maximum punishment of one year or with fine which may extend to Rs 20,000.
