News Analysis India

Tag: Aryan Khan

  • Aryan Khan cruise drugs case: Alleged middle man Sunil Patil names BJP leader as master-mind 

    By Express News Service

    MAHARASHTRA: Sunil Patil, the alleged middle man in the cruise drugs case involving Aryan Khan, has claimed that he has no connection with Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officer, Sameer Wankhede and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

    BJP leader Mohit Kamboj had earlier alleged that the Aryan Khan’s drug case master-mind is Sunil Patil who is connected with NCP. Sunil Patil clarified that he had no connection with Aryan Khan’s case and NCP.

    “The real master-mind behind Aryan Khan case is BJP leader Manish Bhanushali, Dhiraj Bhanushali, Niraj Yadav, and Sam Desouza. The tip-off of the rave party at the cruise ship was given by Niraj Yadav from Madhya Pradesh who is close to senior BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya. When this case happened, I was not in Mumbai. I was away in Ahmedabad for my personal work,” Sunil Patil claimed.

    Patil also alleged that Manish Bhanushali who is a witness in the Aryan Khan case threatened him in a Delhi hotel.

    “I was in Ahmedabad, but Manish Bhanushali and Dhiraj Bhanushali called me to Delhi and pressurized that I should record the video message in favour of NCB. When I refused to do so, they beat me up badly. They even told me that they have big connections which would help them come out from this crisis,” Patil alleged.

    Sunil Patil further alleged, “Since I left the NCP in 2016, I was working separately. Initially, Sam Desouza shared the tip of the rave party on Cruise with me and told me to ask the Maharashtra government to conduct the raid but I refused saying he has no relation with anyone in this regard.”

    Patil also said that he is ready to record his statement before the police and any investigation agency. Patil is a resident of Dhule.

  • NCB’s Sameer Wankhede was part of plot to ‘kidnap’ Aryan Khan, claims Nawab Malik

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik on Sunday alleged that NCB’s Mumbai zonal director Sameer Wankhede was part of a plot to “kidnap” Aryan Khan, the son of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan.

    Speaking to reporters here, Malik claimed BJP leader Mohit Bharatiya was the “mastermind” of the plot.

    He further claimed that Wankhede had met Bharatiya at a graveyard in suburban Oshiwara.

    Aryan Khan was last month arrested following a raid led by Wankhede on a cruise ship from which drugs were allegedly seized.

    Malik has repeatedly termed the cruise drugs bust case as “fake” and levelled a series allegations against Wankhede.

  • Drugs case: Aryan Khan was framed up in a pre-planned raid, claims witness

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: A witness in the NCB’s alleged drug bust on a cruise ship off the Mumbai coast on Saturday claimed that Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan had been “framed up” in the case.

    Aryan (23), who got bail from the high court after spending three weeks in prison following his arrest on October 3, was implicated by some people to make money, witness Vijay Pagare told Marathi news channels.

    It was a pre-planned raid, he alleged.

    Earlier, Prabhakar Sail, another independent witness used by the NCB, had alleged that some officials of the Narcotics Control Bureau had tried to extort money for letting off Aryan.

    The NCB has already launched an inquiry into the allegations.

  • NCP leaders’ close aide Sunil Patil masterminded drugs-on-cruise episode: BJP leader

    Bharatiya, a former general secretary of Mumbai BJP, also claimed that Kiran Gosavi, a witness of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in the drugs-on-cruise case, is an associate of Sunil Patil.

  • NCB team probing allegations against officials in Aryan case to return to Mumbai next week

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: A Special Enquiry Team (SET) formed to look into allegations of extortion attempt against NCB officials in connection with the drugs-on-cruise ship case will return to Mumbai on Monday, said an official.

    The five-member SET, headed by NCB Deputy Director General Gyaneshwar Singh, was formed to conduct inquiry into allegations made by independent witness Prabhakar Sail and others.

    It had left Mumbai before Diwali after failing to record Sail’s statement.

    Sail has leveled allegations against Narcotics Control Bureau officials including its zonal director Sameer Wankhede, claiming that there was an attempt to extort money for letting off Aryan Khan, son of Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, in the case.

    Aryan (23) got bail recently after being arrested during the NCB’s alleged drug bust on a cruise ship on October 2.

    The SET will return to Mumbai on Monday and will resume the inquiry, said the official.

    It will record statements of everyone who is named in an affidavit filed by Sail, he said.

    “First we want to record Sail’s statement because he is a crucial witness,” the official added.

    When asked if Shah Rukh Khan’s manager Pooja Dadlani’s statement will be recorded, the official said whoever was connected to the case will be questioned.

    Dadlani had been allegedly contacted by some persons involved in the attempt to extort money after Aryan was apprehended.

    The SET had stayed in the city from October 27 to 30 and recorded statements of eight persons including Wankhede, but could not contact Sail.

    It had also asked for help from Mumbai police who are conducting a separate probe in the extortion allegation and who had recorded Sail’s statement.

  • Nawab Malik vs Sameer Wankhede: NCB official to meet NCSC chairperson in Delhi, submit caste documents

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Sameer Wankhede, the Narcotics Control Bureau’s Mumbai zonal head, will meet National Commission for Scheduled Castes chairperson Vijay Sampla here on Monday to present his original caste documents to prove that he is a Dalit, sources said.

    Wankhede will meet Sampla at the NCSC office here at around 12 pm, sources said.

    Wankhede is leading the probe in the cruise drugs case in which actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan was arrested.

    The NCB has ordered a vigilance inquiry into the allegations made by a witness in the case of an extortion bid of Rs 25 crore by some agency officials, including Wankhede, and others for letting off Khan.

    Manharashtra minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik has levelled a series of allegations against Wankhede.

    Among other things, he has accused the officer of forging his caste certificate and other documents to secure a job as IRS officer under the SC quota after clearing the UPSC examination.

    Malik claimed that Wankhede is a Muslim by birth, although the latter has denied it On Sunday, Arun Halder, vice chairman of the NCSC had come out in Wankhede’s support, saying the officer is doing good work and making his department proud, but a minister has launched a personal attack against him and his family members.

    Halder also visited Wankhede’s residence in Mumbai.

  • WhatsApp chats not proof enough to show accused supplied drugs to Aryan Khan, says court

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: A special court here while granting bail to Aachit Kumar last week in the drugs-on-cruise case said merely on the basis of WhatsApp chats, it cannot be gathered that he had supplied drugs to co-accused Aryan Khan, the son of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, and Arbaaz Merchant.

    The court in its detailed order, a copy of which was made available on Sunday, also raised questions on the veracity of the Narcotics Control Bureau’s (NCB) panchnama records said they were fabricated and seemed suspicious.

    Special Judge V V Patil, designated to hear cases related to the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, granted bail to 22-year-old Kumar on Saturday.

    The court in its detailed order observed that except for the WhatsApp chats with Aryan Khan, there is no evidence to show Kumar was indulging in such activities.

    Merely on the basis of WhatsApp chats, it cannot be gathered that the applicant (Kumar) used to supply contraband to accused No 1 and 2 (Aryan Khan and Arbaaz Merchant), especially when the accused No 1, with whom there are WhatsApp chats, has been granted bail by the High Court, the order said.

    Aryan Khan and Merchant, who were arrested in the cruise drugs case on October 3, were granted bail by the Bombay High Court last Thursday.

    The special court also noted that there was no evidence against Kumar to connect him with any of the other accused in the case.

    The panchnama is fabricated and was not prepared on the spot and therefore, the recovery shown under the panchnama is suspicious and cannot be relied upon, the court said.

    There is no evidence on record showing that the applicant (Kumar) supplied drugs to accused No 1 (Aryan Khan) or to anybody and therefore, the applicant is entitled to be released on bail, the order said.

    Kumar, the accused no. 17 in the case, was arrested on October 6 by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) based on the statement given by co-accused- Aryan Khan and Arbaaz Merchant.

    The NCB had claimed to have recovered 2.6 grams of ganja from Kumar’s residence. According to the anti-drugs agency, Kumar used to supply ganja and Charas to Aryan Khan and Merchant.

    The NCB argued that it had evidence in the form of WhatsApp chats between Kumar and Aryan Khan which show they were dealing in drugs.

    Kumar’s advocate Ashwin Thool had argued that the 22-year-old was innocent and all allegations against him were false and baseless.

    The court in its order noted that though the NCB has claimed Kumar was a peddler, it has not stated a single occasion where Kumar acted as a peddler.

    It also held that Kumar was put in illegal detention for a day as he was detained from his house on October 5, but was shown as arrested only on October 6.

    The court further said there was nothing on record to show that there was any conspiracy between Kumar and Aryan Khan, and when Aryan Khan has been granted bail, then on the ground of parity, Kumar can also be released.

    The court, while granting bail to four others who were linked to the event management company Caneplus Trading Pvt Ltd which had organised live shows on the Cordelia cruise, noted that there was nothing placed on record by the NCB to show they had financed or harboured any offenders on the ship.

    The four accused were Samir Sehgal, Gopalji Anand, Manav Singhal and Bhaskar Arora.

    Of the total 20 people arrested in the case, 14 persons have been so far granted bail.

    Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha were granted bail last week by the Bombay High Court, while the remaining were granted bail by the special NDPS court.

  • Cruise drugs case: Arbaaz Merchant released from jail 

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Arbaaz Merchant, who was arrested by the NCB in the cruise drugs case on October 3, was released from the Arthur Road prison in central Mumbai on Sunday, October 31, 2021, three days after he was granted bail by the Bombay High Court.

    The high court had on Thursday allowed the bail plea of Merchant along with that of Aryan Khan, son of actor Shah Rukh Khan, and fashion model Munmun Dhamecha, who were also arrested in the same case by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).

    While Aryan Khan was released from the Arthur Road jail on October 30, Dhamecha walked out of the Byculla women’s jail here around 11 am on October 31.

    Merchant was released from jail later in the day after completion of all the legal formalities.

    Talking to reporters outside the jail, his father Aslam Merchant said, “Strict conditions have been set by the high court while granting bail to him. But being an advocate, I will ensure that these conditions are complied with. We like to follow the rules and regulations…He will not do anything that may go against him.”

    On Friday afternoon, the high court had made available its operative order in which it imposed 14 bail conditions on Aryan Khan, Merchant and Dhamecha, stipulating their release on a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh each with one or two sureties of the same amount.

    In the five-page order, the high court said the trio will have to surrender their passports before the NDPS court and shall not leave India without taking permission from the special court.

    They will also have to attend the NCB office each Friday between 11 am and 2 pm to mark their presence.

    A special court in Mumbai had on Saturday granted bail to alleged drug peddler Aachit Kumar and eight others, who were arrested by the NCB following the raid on the cruise ship.

    Of the 20 persons arrested by the NCB after the raid, as many as 14 have got bail so far.

  • Cruise drugs case: PIL in SC seeks CBI probe, direction to Centre to frame witness protection scheme

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: A PIL has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking a CBI probe into the Mumbai drugs-on-cruise case alleging that there has been interference in the ongoing probe of the Narcotics Control Bureau in the matter.

    The case involves Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan and others as accused and has triggered a series of controversies and put the bureau and its officials under the spotlight.

    The public interest litigation (PIL) has also sought a direction to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to frame the national witness protection scheme as recommended in various reports of the Law Commission.

    Aryan Khan, along with co-accused Arbaaz Merchant and fashion model Munmun Dhamecha, was granted bail on Thursday by the Bombay High Court, 25 days after he was arrested during a drug raid on a cruise ship off the Mumbai coast.

    Lawyer M L Sharma, in the PIL filed in his personal capacity, has referred to the controversies raised by Maharashtra Minister Nawab Malik against Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) zonal director Sameer Wankhede and others in the case, and sought a CBI probe into the entire case, including the alleged interference into the ongoing investigation of the NCB.

    Besides seeking CBI probe, the plea also sought a direction for providing “protection to all the witnesses” to the instant case.

    The PIL also raised the legality of a complaint lodged with the Mumbai Police by a local lawyer using the alleged disclosure of a bribe saga by one of the witnesses, Prabhakar Sail, in the case.

    Raising a legal question for adjudication by the apex court, the PIL asked whether a minister may continue to hold his constitutional office even after “interfering” with the investigation and “maligning” the investigation officer.

    “No one is allowed to interfere in the criminal justice systems. The State and state minister are duty bound to protect the Constitution and not to interfere in the investigation and criminal process,” it said.

    “Witnesses are liable to be protected and not to be arrested and tortured to give favourable statements favouring the accused persons,” the PIL said.

    The NCB had busted an alleged drugs party on the Goa-bound Cordelia Cruise ship at mid-sea on October 2 and 20 people, including two Nigerian nationals, were arrested in the case.

    Aryan Khan, Merchant and Dhamecha were arrested by the NCB on October 3 and booked under relevant sections of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) for possession, consumption, sale/purchase of banned drugs, conspiracy and abetment.

  • Drugs-on-cruise case: Arbaz Merchant released from Mumbai’s Arthur Road Jail

    By ANI

    MUMBAI: Arbaz Merchant, who was arrested in the drugs-on-cruise case, was released from Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai on Sunday.

    Speaking to reporter here, Aslam Merchant, father of Arbaz Merchant, said, “I am immensely happy, his mother is the happiest person that our son has come home. Our prayers and blessings came true. We’ll obey all the bail conditions religiously.”

    On Thursday, Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha, who are accused in the drugs-on-cruise case, were granted bail by the court following the three-day hearing in the case.

    The court asked all three bail applicants – Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant, Munmum Dhamecha- to appear before the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Mumbai office every Friday, between 11.00 am to 2.00 pm to mark their presence.