Mumbai Drug Bust: Court says Aryan Khan and other's case to be heard by special NDPS court
Mumbai court on Thursday (October 7) sent Aryan Khan and seven others to judicial custody for 14 days in connection with a drug seizure on a cruise ship off the Mumbai coast. Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) took Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan's son to its office in Mumbai after producing him before the Esplanade Magistrate court. The accused will be kept in the NCB office in judicial custody till Friday because the jail would not accept new inmates at this hour. The court also said that the case will now be heard by special Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) court.
The court added that 'it will hear the bail plea of Aryan Khan at 12.30 pm on Friday' and asked NCB to file a reply by then. Mumbai Drug Bust LIVE Updates: Aryan Khan and 7 others sent to judicial custody for 14 days
As many as 18 arrests have been made in the cruise ship raid case so far. Total 17 have been produced before the court and 18th person is yet to be produced before the Mumbai court. Achit Kumar, who is the 17th person arrested by the NCB, was today remanded to NCB custody till October 9.
His arrest was made after his name was disclosed by Aryan Khan and Arbaaz Seth Merchantt. An NCB team busted an alleged drugs party on the Cordelia Cruise ship which was on its way to Goa at mid-sea on October 2 night. Eight persons including Aryan Khan, Arbaz Seth Merchant, Munmun Dhamecha, Vikrant Chhoker, Ismeet Singh, Nupur Sarika, Gomit Chopra and Mohak Jaswal were produced before Mumbai's Esplanade Court on Monday which remanded them to NCB custody till October 7. Aryan Khan's bail rejected: SRK's son and 7 others to stay in judicial custody for 14 days | KEY POINTS
They were arrested on October 3 in connection with the drug seizure on the cruise ship. Three accused including Aryan Khan, Arbaz Seth Merchant, and Munmun Dhamecha were produced before Mumbai's Esplanade Court which remanded them to NCB custody till October 4 and then till October 7.
As per the NCB, eight persons have been booked under Section 8C, 20B, 27 (Punishment for consumption of any narcotic drug or psychotropic substance), 35 (Presumption of culpable mental state) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS Act), 28 and 29. 8C of NDPS Act refers to prohibition to produce, manufacture, possess, sell, purchase, transport, warehouse, use, consume, import inter-State, export inter-State, import into India, export from India or tranship any narcotic drug or psychotropic substance while Section 20B deals with punishment for producing, manufacturing, possessing, selling, purchasing, transportation, imports inter-State, exports inter-State or use of cannabis.
Satish Maneshinde, the lawyer arguing in defence of Aryan Khan said in the Court, "Accused number 1, Aryan Khan was invited for the cruise party. However, he did not have a boarding pass. He didn't have any seat or cabin there. Secondly, according to the seizure, nothing has been found in his possession. He is arrested only based on chats." NCB has also arrested Abdul Qadir Sheikh, Shreyas Nair, Manish Darya, Avin Sahu among others.
Also Read: Mumbai Drug case: Pooja Bhatt accused of putting NCB informer's life at risk, actress reacts
(With ANI inputs)
