Mumbai drug bust: Aryan Khan, seven other accused sent to 14 days judicial custody; bail application hearing tomorrow

The NCB had sought extension of Aryan Khan’s remand along with seven others by four more days till October 11.

A Mumbai court today sent Aryan Khan and seven other accused in the cruise ship drug raid case to 14 days of judicial custody. The court also rejected the NCB’s plea seeking further custody of Khan and the other accused. The court also termed the NCB’s remand report as vague. Since Aryan Khan was sent to judicial custody, his lawyer Satish Maneshinde moved a bail plea on his behalf. However, the court said that it will hear the bail application at 11 am tomorrow. The bail plea was opposed by ASG Anil Singh.

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) had sought further custody of Aryan Khan, Arbaz Merchant, and the other six accused till October 11. The NCB had sought further custody while contending that any future arrests will need to be confronted with the arrested accused.

All the accused will be in the NCB’s custody till tomorrow since the jail authorities need a negative covid report for admitting the new accused.

Earlier, a Mumbai court sent Achit Kumar, accused of supplying drugs to Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan, to NCB custody till Saturday. He was arrested based on disclosers made by accused Aryan Khan and Arbaz Merchant. The hearing is currently underway

The anti-drugs agency informed the court that it has made 17 arrests so far and latest arrest of Achit Kumar was made based on Khan’s statement. It claimed that confrontation of present eight respondents with Achit Kumar and intercepted foreign national is essential for the investigation.

Special Public Prosecutor Advait Sethna, appearing for the NCB, told the court that the NCB had recovered 2.6 grams of ganja Achit Kumar’s home in Powai and that he was part of the ganja supplying network. However, Kumar’s lawyer Ashwin Thool countered the allegation saying that the agency was lying before the court, claiming that the NCB did not add section related to the charges levelled.

“I will stop short of calling them unscrupulous. They are saying I am part of the suppliers. What have they found on me?  They have already confronted my client with accused number 1. They have found 2.6 grams on me. I submit that I may be granted judicial custody,” Thool was quoted by Live Law as saying. The lawyer also requested the court that Kumar be sent to judicial custody so that he can apply for bail.

The NCB busted a drugs party onboard a cruise ship off the Mumbai coast and arrested Aryan and seven others – Arbaaz Merchant, Munmun Dhamecha, Nupur Satija, Ismeet Singh, Mohak Jaswal, Vikrant Chhokher and Gomit Chopra – on Sunday. Subsequently, it carried out several raids across cities in Maharashtra and arrested nine others in connection with the drugs case.

The raids at the cruise ship produced a haul of 13 grams of cocaine, 21 grams of charas, 22 pills of MDMA and 5 grams of MD, the anti-drugs bureau said. The drugs were found hidden in clothes, underwear and purses, reported news agency Press Trust of India, quoting an unnamed official of the anti-drugs bureau.