Who is Ananya Panday? What is her connection with Aryan Khan drug case?
After superstar Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan's son Aryan Khan's arrest in the drug-related case earlier this month, another star kid has come under NCB radar. On Thursday (October 21), NCB officials reached 22-year-old Ananya Panday's residence as part of the ongoing probe into the October 2 luxury cruiser rave party. Her laptop and mobile phone were seized.
Ananya Panday who is the daughter of Bollywood actor Chunky Panday and granddaughter of the renowned heart surgeon, the late Dr. Sharad Panday was later summoned to the NCB offices for questioning and recording her statement in the drug case. The actress was accompanied by her father, Chunky.
NCB has informed that Ananya's name surfaced in Aryan Khan's WhatsApp chats. Aryan Khan, his friend Arbaaz Merchant and five others were arrested after raids on the ship.
Ananya has done her schooling from Dhirubhai Ambani International School till 2017. She is best friends with Aryan Khan's sister Suhana Khan.
On the work front, Ananya Panday made her Bollywood debut in 2019 with Karan Johar's Student of the Year 2. The film also featured Tiger Shroff and Tara Sutaria. Ananya also won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut for her performance in SOTY 2. Later, the actress continues to star in several hit films like Pati Patni Aur Woh alongside Kartik Aaryan and Bhumi Pednekar, Khaali Peeli, co-starring Ishaan Khatter.
A special court on Wednesday (October 20) denied bail to Aryan Khan, observing that 'on the face of it', he was indulging in "illicit drug activities on a regular basis".
His WhatsApp chats also showed, prima facie, that he was in touch with drug peddlers, the court noted. Aryan Khan subsequently moved the Bombay High Court to challenge the lower court's order. The special NCB court declared that his judicial custody has been extended till October 30.
Over the past year, several high-profile actors including Rhea Chakraborty, Deepika Padukone, Sara Ali Khan, Rakulpreet Singh and others have been questioned in connection with a drugs angle that emerged in the Sushant Singh Rajput death investigations.
