The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) detained actor Shah Rukh Khan's son, Aryan, and three others on October 3 afternoon after hours of interrogation following a drug bust on board a cruise ship off the coast of Mumbai. Five more people were seized and questioned. Mr. Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant, and Munmum Dhamecha have been remanded in the custody of the NCB till October 4.
Mr Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant, and Munmum Dhamecha were arrested and taken to Sir J.J. Hospital for medical exams before being returned to the NCB office. They were charged under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, Sections 8C, 20B, and 27 read with Section 35. Sections 8 (c) and 20 (b) deal with drug possession, purchase, sale, and transportation; section 27 deals with drug use; and section 35 deals with drug dealing intent.
On October 3 evening, the three were brought before a court, which remanded them in NCB custody until October 4.
Officials from the NCB say they found 13 grams of cocaine, 5 grams of MD, 21 grams of charas, 22 pills of MDMA, and Rs. 1.33 lakh in cash. Raids for information on suppliers have also been conducted in the Belapur district of Navi Mumbai based on the information.
Nupur Sarika, Ismeet Singh, Mohak Jaswal, Vikrant Chhoker, and Gomit Chopra were also detained for questioning after an NCB mid-sea raid on board the Cordelia Cruise on its route to Goa on October 2nd.
According to agency sources, they received a tip about a party being held on the cruise by a private lifestyle and fashion channel, to which many VIPs were invited, roughly a fortnight ago. Following that, 22 NCB officials were invited to board the ship as passengers. Over 1,800 people were expected to be on board, and NCB officials are expected to summon the party's organizer for questioning, according to reports.
"We had confidential information that needed to be validated, so we disguised ourselves and boarded the ship. We performed the raid after validating the information and captured eight persons. We're gathering further information regarding the drug's origins. The entire case will be divided into layers, and this is only the first. More persons may be detained and arrested in the coming days "NCB Chairman S.N. Pradhan stated.
“By virtue of this statement, I would express that Cordelia Cruises is in no way, directly or indirectly, related to this incident,” said Mr. Jurgen Bailom, CEO and president, Waterways Leisure Tourism Pvt Ltd. A Delhi-based event management business had booked Cordelia Cruises' ship for a private function. Cordelia Cruises is committed to delivering family-friendly entertainment for those who choose to travel with us. This incident is out of the ordinary and uncharacteristic of the Cordelia Cruises culture. We, at Cordelia Cruises, strongly condemn such crimes and will not allow our ship to be used for similar events in the future."