Aryan Khan will remain in the custody of the anti-drug agency till Thursday, the court said (File)
New Delhi:
Film star Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan was today denied bail after his sensational arrest in the Mumbai drug-on-cruise case. The 23-year-old was remanded in the custody of anti-drug agency Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) till Thursday by a Mumbai court. Aryan Khan’s parents Shahrukh and Gauri Khan were not present in the court for the bail hearing.
A judge extended the custody of Aryan Khan and seven others, saying, “The investigation is of paramount importance and needs to be completed. This benefits both the accused and the investigator.”
Aryan Khan was “calm” while his friends Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha broke down when the judge delivered the verdict.
All eight were arrested on Sunday after an anti-drug agency went undercover and raided a rave party on Saturday evening on the “Cordelia” cruise from Mumbai to Goa.
13 grams of cocaine, 21 grams of charas, 22 tablets of MDMA and 5 grams of MD were recovered in the raid. According to a report by news agency Press Trust of India quoting an unnamed official of the Anti-Drugs Bureau, the drugs were found hidden in clothes, underwear and purses.
The agency told the court that it needs to keep Aryan Khan in custody till October 11 (Monday week) for questioning. The Narcotics Control Bureau alleged that an international drug cartel was involved in the case.
“Unless we investigate the consumer, how do we know who the supplier is, who is funding it,” the agency said.
The agency’s counsel told the court, “The link in the form of chat etc. shows involvement of international cartel. It is a group of individuals like a gang.” He said that “code names” were found in Aryan Khan’s chats and links. 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 taken with full confiscation in the case”.
He said investigators found nothing in his bag and found 6 grams, “a small amount,” in his bag.
He also said that the authorities found only chats on his phone and that “WhatsApp chats without any recovery” is of no importance.
Senior advocate Satish Maneshinde, appearing for Aryan Khan, said, “I was not involved in any drug abuse throughout my stay.”
“One of the grounds for seeking my custody is the confiscation of commercial quantities from the other accused. The commercial quantities confiscated from the other accused cannot be imposed on me. They are talking about international drug trafficking which is a very serious The allegation is there and should be supported by evidence, Aryan Khan said.
Aryan Khan has been accused of buying, possessing and using banned substances.
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