News Analysis India

Tag: Bollywood

  • BJP plans to defame Bollywood and move it to Uttar Pradesh: Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik

    Express News Service

    MUMBAI: Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik alleged that the BJP has a larger conspiracy to defame Bollywood and Mumbai and later move the industry to Noida where Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath proposed to set up a film city.

    Attacking the BJP, the NCP leader said that the saffron party is using central agencies like Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and its zonal director Sameer Wankhede to defame and destroy the industry by levelling flimsy charges against Bollywood personalities along with harassing and forcing them to move out of Mumbai.

    ALSO READ| Will expose nexus between Wankhede and some BJP leaders: Nawab Malik

    “Bollywood is mini India where in people  from all parts of the country and globe happily stay and work. Mumbai has given name and fame to many hardworking and smart people irrespective of their religion and caste. The film industry has spread Indian culture across the globe and generated jobs for locals and outsiders. The BJP could not digest the glory and success of Mumbai and hence, are constantly attacking the city and its people,” Malik said adding that the BJP will not succeed in its malafide game plan.

    Malik said that the person who was arrested on fraudulent charges by Wankhede got bail and the person who was seen dragging Aryan Khan is now in jail for the cheating case. “The man who was threatening people for putting them in jail is now running for bail. The situation has changed and we call it Karma. Many more things will come out in public limelight against Sameer Wankhede and NCB,” the NCP leader said.

    Nawab Malik also levelled serious charges against Wankhede that he did not allow other honest officers of the NCB to conduct raids and take action against Kashif Khan, head of Fashion TV (India) who runs a drug and sex racket.

    “Kashif Khan is very close to Sameer Wankhede and hence, the latter will never take actions against Mr Khan. However, situations are slowly changing and we will expose all those who are a part of Wankhede’s extortion gang,” Malik said.

    ALSO READ| ‘Absolutely a lie’: Sameer Wankhede on Nawab Malik’s allegation

    Wankhede denied all allegations and said that these are lies being spread against him while his wife Kranti Redkar said that they will not speak on this issue now and will fight in court.

    Thank you @nawabmalikncp for taking a stand against the engineered campaign of hate towards the Hindi film Industry. It makes us feel less orphaned. Bollywood & Bombay/Mumbai are Intrinsically linked.This is the city of dreams after all & has sustained millions over the years.  https://t.co/seMh3WFRJE
    — Pooja Bhatt (@PoojaB1972) October 29, 2021
    Meanwhile, reacting to the minister’s remarks, actor Pooja Bhatt tweeted “Thank you, Nawab Malik, for taking a stand against the engineered campaign of hate towards the Hindi film Industry. It makes us feel less orphaned. Bollywood & Bombay/Mumbai are intrinsically linked. This is the city of dreams after all and has sustained millions over the years.”

  • Aryan Khan gets bail in drugs-on-cruise case, to be freed on Friday

    By Online Desk

    The Bombay High Court on Thursday granted bail to Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha in the drugs-on-cruise case. They will be freed on Friday.

    The hearing that entered its third day on Thursday saw Additional Solicitor General of India (ASG) Anil Singh, representing the NCB, arguing their case. The hearing on bail applications of Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha before Justice N W Sambre remained incomplete on the second day. Khan and the other two are in jail since October 3 after the NCB raided a cruise ship off the Mumbai coast and allegedly recovered narcotic drugs.

    While Aryan’s legal team has maintained that the NCB did not find any drugs in the star kid’s possession nor could they prove that he consumed any, the ASG, in his argument on Thursday said, “Our case is not of consumption but of possession.”

    The NCB spoke about Aryan Khan and others of being accused of a conspiracy, but it never pressed that charge officially following their arrest in a drugs case, their lawyer told the court during bail hearing on Wednesday.

    ALSO READ | More trouble brewing for Sameer Wankhede? Another drug case witness alleges being forced to sign blank pages

    Responding to Aryan Khan’s lawyer Mukul Rohatgi’s argument that the arrest is illegal, ASG Anil Singh said, “Three remand orders of the magistrate have not been challenged. So now the accused cannot say the arrest is illegal.”

    Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Aryan Khan, had earlier argued that the arrest was a direct infringement of constitutional provisions as the arrest memo did not give the “true and correct grounds”.

    Senior counsel Amit Desai, appearing for Merchant, pointed out that the special court for Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act on Tuesday granted bail to two other accused in the case — Manish Rajgaria and Avin Sahu. “The allegations against them are also the same. In fact, there was a recovery of 2.6 grams of ganja (cannabis) from one of the accused and the second had said that he had consumed,” Desai said.

    “If not on (the ground of) parity but on liberty these boys (Aryan Khan and Merchant) should be granted bail. Release them on bail with strict conditions,” Desai argued.

    He further told the court that the charge of conspiracy and abetment was invoked in the case by the NCB as an afterthought.

    ALSO READ | Mumbai police set up team for inquiry into ‘extortion bid’ in Aryan case

    Instead of arresting them, the NCB should have first issued them a notice under section 41A of the Code of Criminal Procedure (under which an accused is asked to appear and record a statement in minor offenses), the lawyer said.

    “What was the need to arrest them at that time when conspiracy charge was not even applied,” Desai said, adding that the charge of possession of a small quantity of drugs only attracts one year’s imprisonment, so it was a minor offense.

    The NCB’s arrest memo of October 3 contained only sections 20(B) and 27 of the NDPS Act which relate to consumption and possession of drugs, and “there is no mention of sections 28 and 29 pertaining to abetment and conspiracy,” advocate Desai said.

    “So as per the NCB’s assessment of material based on recovery at that time. These three individuals were doing individual acts of consumption and possession,” Desai said, claiming further that to date the charge of conspiracy has not been officially invoked against the trio. The magistrate on October 3 was misled by the NCB to believe that conspiracy charge was also invoked while seeking their remand,” he said.

    Merchant’s alleged statement that he had on him six grams of charas for consumption along with Aryan was inadmissible as evidence, and the NCB never sent them for medical examination, the lawyer said.

    The court asked if there was any connection between the two co-accused who have got bail, and Aryan Khan and Merchant. Desai said there was absolutely no connection. “There are no WhatsApp chats between these three accused with the other accused. The WhatsApp chats being relied upon by the NCB are old and have no connection with this case,” the lawyer added.

    These alleged WhatsApp chats of Aryan and others were provided to the media but were not part of court records, he said, questioning their veracity.

    Justice Sambre said the United Kingdom has done away with the need to supply a certificate to prove the authenticity of electronic evidence, but the same is needed in India.

    Advocate Kaashif Ali Khan Deshmukh, appearing for Dhamecha, said she was made a scapegoat only because she was detained with Aryan and Merchant.

    “The NCB has made Dhamecha a part of the alleged drug network. She doesn’t even know these persons (Aryan and Merchant). She comes from a small town in Madhya Pradesh and is a fashion model,” he said.

    Dhamecha never consumed drugs and a medical examination can confirm it, her lawyer added. Aryan Khan, Merchant and Dhamecha moved the high court last week after the special NDPS Act court rejected their bail applications.

  • Incredible to include Bollywood and dance sequence in a Marvel movie, says Chloe Zhao

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Oscar-winning filmmaker Chloe Zhao says Kingo in “Eternals” is a character that “loves pop culture and showmanship”, which is why making him a Bollywood star grooving to a “beautiful, joyous dance sequence” in the big Marvel movie felt “incredible”.

    The “Nomadland” director said Kingo, played by Pakistani-American star Kumail Nanjiani, was always supposed to be a Bollywood hero.

    “When I came into the process, there was a treatment and in the treatment, there are always stories and parts that take place in Mumbai. Kingo is a Bollywood star in the present day and I thought that was so interesting because we knew Kingo is going to be a character that embraced the side of humanity that loves pop culture, that loves storytelling, that showmanship,” Zhao said responding to a question from PTI during a round table interview with international journalists over Zoom.

    On bringing together different cultural elements to a superhero film, the Chinese-American director said the character arc of Kingo is a breath of fresh air.

    “It was interesting to see the writers and the Marvel team did not just make him a Hollywood star since we’ve seen him in many times, but really to make him a Bollywood star and also have this beautiful, joyous dance sequence. I thought it’s incredible to include in a big Marvel movie,” she added.

    “Eternals” introduces audiences to 10 never-seen-before superheroes, played by some of the biggest names in Hollywood such as Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, ”Game of Thrones” stars Richard Madden and Kit Harington, Gemma Chan, Nanjiani and Don Lee.

    Nanjiani recently revealed that he had initially expressed his inability to dance but Zhao tricked him by promising to change the segment to an action scene only to keep the dance sequence intact.

    The Eternals are an alien race living on Earth for over 7,000 years who team up to protect humanity from their evil counterparts, the Deviants.

    Zhao, something of a wunderkind in Hollywood for her distinct and independent films that deal with humane stories, said she always wanted to direct a film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which is known for its blockbuster superhero movies.

    “I wanted this so bad because I wanted to work with the team at Marvel because I love the movies. Also with this particular story, I felt like I have something to offer. And it’s a story that would address questions that I have for myself as a human being. So, I knew the making of that will allow me to grow,” the 39-year-old filmmaker explained.

    Zhao, whose debut film was “Songs My Brother Taught Me” which she followed by the critically-acclaimed “The Rider”, attracted global attention with “Nomadland”, a film that focuses on a woman who leaves home and decides to become a nomad after her husband dies and she loses her job.

    Earlier this year at the Academy Awards ceremony, “Nomadland” won the trophies for best film, best actor for Frances McDormand and best director for Zhao, who became the only second woman and the first East Asian to win the Oscar trophy in the category.

    Asked about Zhao’s interest in themes of belonging and the idea of home in her stories, the director said these concepts occupy her mind lately.

    “I’ve been thinking about us as a species, like as humanity, we are literally thinking about leaving the planet and going somewhere else.

    As a species, we’re always trying to leave home and search for something else — meaning, land, gold, opportunity — whatever it is.

    “And then in the end, when we get older we always end up wanting to go home. As I am getting older, I think about these themes quite a lot, you know, belonging and home,” she said.

    But isn’t there a worry that such themes may get lost in translation in a superhero movie? Zhao said that’s a worry she constantly grapples with as a filmmaker.

    “Every film I make I worry that it is gonna get lost in translation and you never know. That’s the thing, I try not to go there,” she told PTI.

    “When a film is done in this moment right now, this movie (‘Eternals’) is more yours than mine. So I have no control of that and the chemistry of where we are in the world now,” she said, citing the example of “Nomadland”, which struck a chord with people during the pandemic.

    “I had no idea how that film was gonna relate to people when I made it. So I will say it is part of the job.”

    Asked about plans for a possible sequel, Zhao said she and the team at Marvel were “really encouraged to make a stand-alone and really make make a film outside of the main storyline”.

    “Eternals” has “repercussions for the future” but the director said they have to see how the film interacts with the world and grows.

    “We will make future plans once we look at that,” she said.

    As a fan of superhero and ensemble films in the past, Zhao said she was inspired by a lot of movies to tell the story of these brand new characters.

    “It’s so nice to watch these people who don’t agree with each other or come from different walks of life, and find commonality, something worth fighting for, together.

    That’s something I think as human beings, we like to watch because we hope that we can all find common ground and things that are worth fighting for.”

    ”Eternals” is set for release in Indian theatres on November 5 in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam.

  • Ananya Panday grilled again, denies helping Aryan Khan get drugs: Report

    Ananya Panday was reportedly asked questions on chats that appeared to indicate that she helped Aryan Khan procure weed, say NCB sources quoted by news agency ANI.

  • Ananya Panday denies helping Aryan Khan get drugs, to be quizzed again on Monday

    By Online Desk

    Ananya Panday, daughter of actor Chunky Panday,  has been summoned by the NCB for further questioning on Monday.

    Ananya was questioned by the NCB in the drugs-on-cruise case for the second time on Friday.

    The actor was summoned reportedly on the basis of WhatsApp chats found on the phone of Aryan Khan, who was arrested in the drugs-in-cruise case on October 2 and has been in jail since October 8. She was reportedly quizzed on the WhatsApp chats that hinted that she helped Aryan Khan procure weed, news agency ANI said quoting NCB.

    Ananya has reportedly denied allegations of supplying or using drugs.

    NCB official Ashok Mutha Jain was quoted by ANI as saying, “She (Ananya Panday) has been called again on Monday morning, questioning will be done. The further procedure will take place.”

    On Friday, Ananya was reportedly asked questions on chats that appeared to indicate that she helped Aryan Khan procure weed, say NCB sources quoted by news agency ANI.

    #WATCH | Mumbai: Actor Ananya Panday, her father Chunky Panday reach NCB office.Ananya has been summoned by NCB for questioning. pic.twitter.com/SKiPf2S3P7
    — ANI (@ANI) October 21, 2021
    Earlier, Ananya along with her father Chunky Panday arrived at the NCB’s Mumbai office after the probe agency summoned her for questioning in connection with the Mumbai cruise drug case. She was summoned by the NCB on Thursday too. During the questioning on Thursday, the actor denied the allegations of supplying and consuming drugs.

    As per the NCB sources, Ananya denied the allegation of supplying drugs to Aryan Khan, who is an accused in the case, and said that she has never consumed the drugs.

    ALSO READ | Chats recovered from Aryan Khan’s mobile reveal Ananya Panday supplied him weed thrice: NCB sources

    “The chats recovered from Aryan Khan’s mobile phone reveal that in the year 2018-19, she helped supply drugs to Aryan thrice by providing him the numbers of drug dealers,” NCB sources told ANI.

    “Ananya denied the supply-related talks in the chat conversation and told the NCB officials that she has never consumed or supplied the drugs,” they added.

    Ananya Panday has been summoned by NCB today in connection with the Mumbai cruise raid case as well on suspicion of drug consumption. The summon has been issued based on the chats recovered from Aryan Khan’s mobile.

    Earlier on Thursday, an NCB team was seen at Ananya Panday’s house, following which, the actor was summoned by the probe agency at its office. Later, Ananya Panday, along with her father Chunky Panday, reached NCB’s office.

    Meanwhile, one more drug peddler was detained by NCB on Friday morning in connection with the cruise drug case.

    The probe agency has conducted six raids or searches in Mumbai and nearby areas in the last two days in connection with the cruise drugs case, said sources.

    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. 

  • Leonardo DiCaprio, Abhay Deol collaborate for boxer Guglielmo Papaleo’s biopic

    By Express News Service

    Leonardo DiCaprio’s production house Appian Way Productions is teaming up with Bollywood star Abhay Deol’s Canada-based content creation company, Blisspoint Entertainment, and Singapore’s Golden Ratio Films for Pep, a biopic of the legendary mid-20th century featherweight boxer Guglielmo Papaleo.

    Professionally known as Willie Pep, he is considered to be one of the best fighters of the 20th century. He had a 26-year-long career with nearly 2,000 rounds of boxing as a professional.

    The film, set in 1965 will be centered around one of Pep’s comebacks, as he finds himself riddled with debt while supporting a wife half his age and a drug addict son.

    James Madio will be playing Pep’s role in the film, and Keir Gilchrist will essay the role of Pep’s son, Billy Junior. Ron Livingston essays the character named Bob Kaplan, who was Pep’s business manager.

    Pep, the film, is directed by Rober Kolodny, and Steve Loff has penned its screenplay. Steve James is executive producing the film while Rober Greene will be the editor. 

  • MP woman shoots video of herself on Bollywood song in Mahakal temple, apologises as Hindu outfits object

    By PTI

    UJJAIN: A woman from Indore shot a video of herself on a Bollywood song on the premises of the famous Mahakaleshwar temple here in Madhya Pradesh and shared it on social media.

    However, she later issued a video statement apologising for her actions which she claimed was not liked by priests and Hindu outfits who raised objections.

    Mahakaleshwar temple assistant administrator Moolchand Junwal on Sunday said the video was shot in the Omkareshwar temple located in the premises of the Mahakaleshwar temple dedicated to Lord Shiva.

    “The woman, identified as Manisha Roshan, later sought an apology for her actions and deleted all her videos from social media platforms,” he said.

    Junwal claimed a complaint was sent to the Mahakal police station but the woman submitted a letter seeking an apology to the police as well.

    However, the Mahakal temple police station in charge Munendra Gautam said no official complaint has been received in this regard by the police so far.

    In a video statement, the woman said, “I had shot a video in the temple at Ujjain which was not liked by priests and Hindu outfits and they raised objections over it.

    My intention was not to hurt anyone… I apologise for it and keep it in mind that any of my actions don’t hurt the sentiments of anyone in future.

    ” The video clip shows the woman, wearing a sari, lip-syncing a Bollywood song while roaming around the pillars of the temple.

    Last month, Chhatarpur Police had registered a case against a young woman, whose videos of dancing on Bollywood songs outside a temple in Chhatarpur city went viral on social media.

    Later, the woman apologised for her actions.

    PTI COR ADU NSK NSK 10101805 NNNN

  • Mumbai drugs haul: NCP claims plot to malign Bollywood, Uddhav government; challenges NCB to come clean

    By Express News Service

    MUMBAI:  The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Wednesday alleged that the drug bust on cruise ship off Mumbai coast was nothing but an attempt to target Bollywood. 

    NCP’s chief spokesperson Nawab Malik alleged that two ‘private persons’ were present during the NCB raid on October 2.

    Claiming that one of them had BJP links, he accused the NCB of acting at the behest of the saffron party. Malik also alleged claimed that no drug seizure was made from the alleged rave party on the cruise.

    “The drama (raid) was fake. They did not find drugs on the ship,” Malik, who is Maharashtra Minorities Affairs Minister, said.

    He claimed that S K Salvi, a private detective as per his social media profile, was seen with Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan at the NCB office while Manish Bhanushali, a BJP member, was seen escorting another accused, Arbaaz Merchant. 

    Asking the NCB to come clean on the matter, Malik said, “The entire NCB is being used by the BJP to malign the Maharashtra government and Bollywood.”

    While Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant demanded an inquiry into Malik’s allegations, the NCB rubbished them.

    “The allegations are baseless. There is no substance in them. The private citizens helped in the raid which was conducted as per procedure,” an official of the agency said. Bhanushali claimed he was not an office bearer of any political party, and just helped the NCB. He threatened to sue Malik for defamation.

    The BJP said in its reaction that had there been no evidence, the court would have granted bail to Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan in the case.

    The Narcotics Control Bureau also termed the allegations as baseless.

    The NCB has so far arrested 17 people, including Aryan Khan, after allegedly seizing drugs from the Goa-bound ship on Saturday.

    “If these two men are not officials of the NCB, then why were they escorting two high-profile people (Khan and Merchant),” he asked.

    The man seen with Merchant was in Gujarat on September 21-22 and could be connected to the seizure of about 3,000 kilograms of heroin at Mundra Port, Malik claimed, asking the BJP to come clear on this person’s credentials.

    Notably, Malik’s son-in-law Sameer Khan had been arrested by the NCB on January 13, 2021, in an alleged drug case.

    He got bail in September.

    In a statement, Deputy Inspector General of NCB Gyaneshwar Singh said “some allegations” leveled against agency were baseless, and might have been made “in retaliation against earlier legal actions” carried out by it.

    Its procedure “has been and will continue to be professionally and legally transparent and unbiased,” the statement said.

    “Individuals named as Prabhakar Sail, Kiran Gosavi, Manish Bhanushali, Aubrey Gomez, Adil Usmani, V Waigankar, Aparna Rane, Prakash Bahadur, Shoib Faiz and Muzammil Ibrahim were associated with NCB as independent witnesses (panchas), ” the agency said.

    Reacting to Malik’s allegations, local BJP MLA Atul Bhatkhalkar said during lockdown, the Uddhav Thackeray-led state government was the first to open liquor shops, it also decided to lift prohibition in Chandrapur, and now Nawab Malik has accused the NCB of being a drug lord.

    Aryan Khan was represented by a senior criminal lawyer when he was produced in a court, Bhatkhalkar said.

    “The reason why the court granted custody of Aryan Khan to NCB even after he (this lawyer) argued for defence is because of the solid evidence against him (Khan). Had there been no evidence, he would have been granted immediate bail,” said the BJP leader.

    Malik’s allegations question the credibility of the court, he added.

    The BJP leader also asked whether Malik was targeting the NCB at the behest of his son-in-law.

    (With PTI Inputs)

  • From Sanjay Dutt to Aryan Khan, Bollywood celebrities embroiled in drugs controversy

    By Online Desk

    Following the arrest of Aryan Khan for alleged possession of banned drugs and substance abuse, the buzz around drug consumption among Bollywood personalities has revived once again.

    On Saturday evening, an NCB team busted a drugs party on the Cordelia Cruise ship which was on its way to Goa at mid-sea. Eight persons, including Aryan Khan, were detained for questioning by the NCB allegedly in connection with the drug seizure on the cruise ship, according to NCB Mumbai Director Sameer Wankhede. All the eight people detained from the Mumbai cruise were arrested by Mumbai police on Sunday.

    While the people related to the Hindi film industry have been accused of drug use several times, the debate around the topic gained momentum after the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput in June 2020.

    Late actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s father KK Singh filed an FIR against actor and video jockey (VJ) Rhea Chakraborty and her family members in Patna in July 2020 for abetment of suicide. Rhea and her brother Showik Chakraborty were accused to be part of a drug cartel that had supplied drugs to the late actor.

    NCB in September 2020 also summoned actors Deepika Padukone, Sara Ali Khan, Shraddha Kapoor, and Rakul Preet Singh to record their statements in connection with the agency’s probe against the “drug syndicate”.

    Comedian Bharti Singh and her husband Harsh Limbachiyaa were arrested by NCB in November, following the alleged seizure of ganja from their house. The NCB had said that a search operation at the Versova home of the couple had allegedly led them to a bag with 65 grams of ganja and another 21.5 grams of cannabis from another residence.

    In December 2020, NCB had issued a notice to director Karan Johar over a video of a party that he had organised in 2019, where several Bollywood personalities were present.

    The viral video featured celebrities including Deepika Padukone, Ranbir Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Varun Dhawan, Arjun Kapoor, Shahid Kapoor, Ayan Mukherjee, Zoya Akhtar, and Malaika Arora. After seeing the clip, many people alleged that top stars who were present at the party were flaunting a “drugged look”.

    ALSO READ | Shah Rukh Khan’s son, two others sent to NCB custody till October 7

    Many Bollywood stars have opened up about their drug addiction in the past.

    Actor Prateik Babbar has been vocal about bouncing back after a struggle with drug and alcohol dependency. He said that he wanted to get his life back in order to make his late mother, Smita Patil, proud. His first experience with drugs came when he was 13.

    What started as experiments with marijuana and hashish, developed into an addiction to cocaine and acid for the ‘Jane Tu Ya Jane Na’ actor. Prateik admitted that his family encouraged him to sign up for rehab that eventually helped him get better.

    Sanjay Dutt also has a history of drug addiction. He had a nine-year-long battle with drugs. He was later sent to a rehabilitation centre in America.

    In a BBC documentary titled ‘To Hell and Back’, Dutt said, “I have done every drug there is. I was already on drugs when my mother was being treated for cancer. Once during shooting for ‘Rocky’ (Dutt’s debut film), I was so addicted that once I travelled with 1kg heroin hidden in my shoes.”

    Rajkumar Hirani’s biopic on actor Sanjay Dutt titled ‘Sanju’ featured his drug habit and rehabilitation.

    There were also reports in 2014 that famous rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh, who had isolated himself from the world, for more than a year, was in a Chandigarh rehab.

    In 2001, actor Fardeen Khan was arrested for alleged possession of cocaine. He underwent a detoxification course at a state-run hospital and filed an application seeking immunity in the case, which was granted in March 2012. 

    (With ANI inputs)

  • Bollywood stars high-paying clients to D-Company’s drug cartel, say officials

    Express News Service

    MUMBAI:  It’s no secret anymore that Mumbai’s drug cartel is being peddled by the D-Company and that most of the Bollywood stars and strugglers are its high-paying clients.

    “The D-company helmed by underworld Don Dawood Ibrahim suspected to be based in Pakistan runs this lucrative business. The D-Company buys raw drugs — opium, poppy and coca — from Afghanistan and Cambodia. After processing them into heroin, brown sugar, charas and cocaine, these drugs are smuggled into India via Punjab border and Gujarat ports, and land here in Mumbai,” said a senior officer from the Anti-Narcotics Cell of Mumbai Police.

    After the drug consignment reaches Mumbai, it is handed over to the main dealer, sub-dealers and other local suppliers.

    The drug suppliers mainly hide in the ghettos of Mira Road, Nalasopara and Dockyard Road of Mumbai and extended suburbs.  

    “The college-going students mostly take ganja and charas. Heroin and cocaine, the refined drugs — are sold at a very high price. Only the well-heeled people can afford them. Most of the Bollywood film stars and strugglers take either heroin or cocaine,” said the officer.

    A highly-placed source in the Anti-Narcotics Cell said MDMA (also knows as Ecstasy) is in high demand for its said effects on sexual excitement.

    “The MDMA is also used by Bollywood struggler girls. There is a myth that this drug can keep them slim and fit,” the source explained. 

    Earlier the MDMA used to be made in Mumbai and Palghar area only.

    “However, following continuous high vigil and frequent raids, these makers shifted to Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat. Heroin is the highest quality and costliest drug that has been supplied by Cambodia and some South American countries,” added the source. 

    The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Sunday arrested Aryan Khan, son of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, and seven others in connection with the seizure of banned drugs onboard a cruise ship off the Mumbai coast.

    Besides Aryan Khan, the arrested accused are identified as Munmun Dhamecha, Arbaaz Merchant, Ismeet Singh, Mohak Jaswal, Gomit Chopra, Nupur Sarika, and Vikrant Chhokar, an NCB official said.

    Aryan Khan, Dhamecha, and Merchant were produced before a metropolitan magistrate’s court here earlier in the day which remanded them in NCB custody till October 4.

    All the eight accused will be produced before the court on Monday after their medical examination, he added.

    Aryan Khan has been booked under sections 27 (punishment for consumption of any narcotic drug or psychotropic substance), 8C (produce, manufacture, possess, sell or purchase of drugs) and other relevant provisions of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS).

    ALSO WATCH |

    He and seven others were detained late Saturday night by NCB sleuths after they raided the cruise ship on its way from Mumbai to Goa.

    As per the arrest memo of the NCB, 13 grams of cocaine, five gram of MD, 21 grams of charas and 22 pills of Ecstasy and Rs 1.33 lakh was seized after the raid.

    Based on a tip-off that a party was scheduled on the ship, an NCB team, led by its zonal director Sameer Wankhede, raided the Goa-bound ship on Saturday evening and recovered drugs from some of the passengers, an NCB official said.

    “During the operation, the suspects were searched and different drugs were recovered from them, which they had hidden in their clothes, undergarments and purses (by women),” the NCB official said.

    The cruise company in a statement on Sunday said it had nothing to do with this incident.

    “Cordelia Cruises is in no way, directly or indirectly, connected to this incident. Cordelia Cruises had chartered its ship for a private event to a Delhi-based event management company,” Jurgen Bailom, Chief Executive Officer and President, Waterways Leisure Tourism Pvt Ltd said in the statement.

    It said Cordelia Cruises is extending our full support and cooperating with the authorities.

    (With PTI Inputs)