[BREAKING] Cruise ship drug raid: Shahrukh Khan son Aryan Khan, others remanded to NCB custody till October 4

A Mumbai Court today granted the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) custody of Aryan Khan, son of Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, till October 4 in relation to the cruise ship drug case.

Special Prosecutor for the NCB, Advocate Advait Sethna prayed for two-day custody of the accused. He said,

"NCB has apprehended a supply person so it needs to find out the contact and link. There is a link shown through WhatsApp chats."

Sethna added that even if the offences for which the accused have been charged are bailable, custodial interrogation was required.

“Prima facie the Whatsapp chats consists of incriminating material and hence the remand application be allowed”.

Advocate Satish Maneshinde, appearing for Khan, argued,

"My client was invited by the organisers. He had no boarding pass. Nothing was found with him. Subsequently his mobile instrument was examined. Nothing was found in subsequent tests."

He added that since the authorities were treating his client well and that there was no coercion, he would agree to one day of custody.

"Even if I file for bail today, they will seek time for reply which will not serve my purpose, so my lord my allow one day custody."

The Court ultimately remanded the three accused who have been arrested to NCB custody till October 4.

Khan and 7 others were detained by the NCB on Saturday for interrogation after drugs were found on Cordelia Cruises' Empress ship, on which a rave party allegedly took place.

Besides Khan, Arbaaz Merchant, Munmun Dhamecha, Nupur Sarika, Ismeet Singh, Mohak Jaswal, Vikrant Chhoker and Gomit Chopra who were being questioned have been arrested.

Merchant and Dhamecha were remanded to NCB custody as well.

The others will be produced in Court for first remand in a day or two.

The accused were booked for offences under Sections 8(c), 20(b), 27, 28, 29 and 35 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

NCB stated that Khan’s phone was being scanned by the authorities to check for any indication of his involvement in the possession or consumption of drugs.

On the basis of specific information, officials of NCB Mumbai conducted a raid on the cruise which was bound from Mumbai to Goa on October 2.

During the operation, NCB claimed to have recovered 13 grams of Cocaine, 5 grams of Mephedrone, 21 grams of charas, 22 pills of MDMA ecstasy and ₹1.33 lakhs in cash.