Guwahati: Aryan Khan, the son of movie star Shah Rukh Khan, was denied bail today after his arrest yesterday in the Mumbai cruise drugs bust. The 23-year-old was sent to the custody of anti-drugs agency Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) till Thursday by a Mumbai court.
“Investigation is of prime importance and it needs to be carried out. It benefits both accused and investigator,” a judge said.
Aryan Khan’s friend Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha have also been sent to NCB custody till October 7 (Thursday). They were “in tears” when the judge announced the decision.
All three were arrested on Sunday after the anti-drugs agency raided an alleged rave party on Saturday evening on the “Cordelia”cruise sailing from Mumbai to Goa.
The raids produced a haul of 13 grams of cocaine, 21 grams of charas, 22 pills of MDMA and 5 grams of MD, the NCB said. The drugs were concealed in clothes, undergarments and purses, reported news agency Press Trust of India, quoting an unnamed official of the anti-drugs bureau.
The agency told the court that they needed Aryan Khan in custody till October 11 (Monday week) to question him. They also alleged that the case involved an international drug cartel.
“Unless we investigate the consumer how do we know who is the supplier, who is financing it,” the NCB said.
“Links in the form of chats etc. show the involvement of international cartel. It is a group of persons, like a gang,” the agency’s lawyer told the court, adding that “code names” were found in Aryan Khan’s chats and links of bank and cash transfers that had to be verified.
Aryan Khan argued that he was a special invitee to the cruise ship and “cannot be roped in with the entire seizure in the case”.
Khan also said through his lawyer that he only knows Merchant from whom six grams of Charas was found
He also said the officials had only found chats on his phone and “WhatsApp chats without any recovery” is of no significance.
“In my entire stay aboard I was not involved any drug usage,” said senior lawyer Satish Maneshinde, appearing for Aryan Khan.
“One of the grounds for asking my custody is seizure of commercial quantity from other accused. Commercial quantity seized from other accused cannot be foisted on me. They are talking about international drug trafficking which is a very serious charge and has to be backed by evidence,” said Aryan Khan.
Aryan Khan has been accused of purchase, possession and use of banned substances.
