Tag: drugs-on-cruise case

  • Key witness in Aryan Khan case Kiran Gosavi sent to 8-day police custody

    By Express News Service

    MUMBAI: A Pune court on Thursday sent the key witness in the Aryan Khan case Kiran Gosavi to 8-day police custody after he was arrested in connection with a 2018 cheating case registered against him in the city.

    Gosavi’s selfie and videos with Aryan Khan had gone viral on social media after the NCB’s raid on the cruise ship off the Mumbai coast on October 2. Later, Pune police issued a lookout circular against him on October 14 in 2018 cheating case.

    Gosavi had been moving to various locations in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Telangana while on the run.

    ALSO READ | Aryan Khan gets bail in drugs-on-cruise case, to be freed on Friday

    Pune police commissioner Amitabh Gupta said as Gosavi’s selfie went viral, it helped the cops to trace his locations before the arrest. “Gosavi did not surrender but was arrested by Pune crime branch in a cheating case of 2018. There are other cases against him as well. It took us 10 days to nab him. He was on run and moved from place to place in Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, and Maharashtra.

    Prabhakar Sail, the personal bodyguard of Gosavi, had earlier alleged that the latter took Rs 50 lakh from an individual after the raid at the cruise ship. He also said that Sameer Wankhede and his close associates had demanded Rs 25 crore from Shah Rukh Khan to release his son Aryan. Gosavi, however, had denied the allegations.

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

    The Pune police said on Thursday that there is no demand to hand over Gosavi to the Mumbai Police or any other agencies, including the NCB. Elaborating on the matter, Gupta said, “Kiran Gosavi was using ‘Sachin Patil’ as the alias to stay in hotels at various places. He used to tell people that he runs an NGO or a businessman into export and imports, etc,” he added.

    Before his arrest, Gosavi had shared his video message saying: “Prabhakar Sail is lying. All I want to request is that his CDR report be released. If my CDR report or chats can be released, CDR reports and chats of Sail and his brother should also be released. Only then everything will be clear.”

    Gosavi further said, “At least one minister or a leader of the Opposition in Maharashtra must stand with me”, adding that the politician(s) could “at least request the Mumbai Police to make public what I am demanding” (the CDR and chats of Prabhakar Sail).

  • 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.

  • Drug-on-cruise case: NCB’s witness Kiran Gosavi detained in Pune

    By ANI

    PUNE: Kiran Gosavi, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) witness in the drug-on-cruise case involving Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan, has been detained in Pune.

    “Kiran Gosavi has been detained,” said Pune Police Commissioner Amitabh Gupta on Thursday.

    Gosavi has been detained by the Pune Police three days after he claimed he would surrender at a police station in Uttar Pradesh’s capital Lucknow.

    KP Gosavi, witness in Cruise in drug case has been detained by Pune Crime Branch. Gosavi was wanted in four different cases in Maharashtra. He was absconding since his sefie with Aryan Khan got viral. @NewIndianXpress @Sunday_Standard pic.twitter.com/qaxLauLqnY
    — Sudhir Suryawanshi (@ss_suryawanshi) October 28, 2021
    A case was registered against Gosavi with Faraskhana police station of Pune city on May 19, 2018, for allegedly committing fraud by promising a person a job in Malaysia by taking money.

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

    However, he neither returned the money nor offered the job to the complainant. The accused was booked under sections 419, 420 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) along with relevant sections of the Intellectual Technology (IT) Act.

    Chargesheet was filed in the court as the accused was not found. He is still wanted in the case.

    Other than this, a case of fraud has also been registered against Gosavi at the Kelwa Police station in Palghar on October 18. As per the police, he had duped people of lakhs of rupees on the pretext of sending them abroad for jobs.

    Notably, Prabhakar Sail, who is the personal bodyguard of Kiran Gosavi and also a witness in the Mumbai cruise ship raid case has alleged that he took Rs 50 lakh from an individual after the raid at the cruise ship. 

  • Drug-on-cruise probe: Pune police arrest NCB witness Kiran Gosavi in cheating case

    By PTI

    PUNE: Pune police on Thursday arrested Kiran Gosavi, an independent witness of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in the drugs-on-cruise case, in connection with a 2018 cheating case registered against him here in Maharashtra, a senior official said.

    He did not surrender before the police, the official said.

    Gosavi, said to be a “private investigator” whose photos and videos with actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan went viral on social media after the NCB’s raid on the cruise ship off the Mumbai coast on October 2, had been absconding.

    Recently, another witness in the drugs case, Prabhakar Sail, told media persons that he had overheard Gosavi telling one Sam D’Souza over the phone, after Aryan Khan was brought to the NCB office following the October 2 raid on the cruise ship, about a demand of Rs 25 crore and “to settle at Rs 18 crore as they have to give Rs eight crore to Sameer Wankhede”.

    Gosavi had on Monday refuted the extortion claims made by Sail, and said he will surrender before Lucknow police.

    On Thursday, Pune Commissioner of Police Amitabh Gupta said they have arrested Gosavi in connection with the 2018 cheating case registered against him.

    Gosavi was arrested from a lodge in Katraj area here by the Pune police at 3 am, and he will produced in a court following the due procedure, Gupta said in a press conference.

    “There was a case of cheating in Pune city in 2018 in which Gosavi was the main accused,” the official said.

    A charge sheet in the case was filed in 2019, he said.

    KP Gosavi, witness in Cruise in drug case has been detained by Pune Crime Branch. Gosavi was wanted in four different cases in Maharashtra. He was absconding since his sefie with Aryan Khan got viral. @NewIndianXpress @Sunday_Standard pic.twitter.com/qaxLauLqnY
    — Sudhir Suryawanshi (@ss_suryawanshi) October 28, 2021
    “Though Gosavi had earlier spoken about surrendering, he never did so,” Gupta said.

    He used to stay in hotels in the name of Sachin Patil, while claiming that he was working with an organisation, the official said.

    Gosavi was apparently present during the cruise ship raid and was seen at the NCB office when Aryan Khan was taken there.

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

    His selfies and videos with Aryan Khan have appeared on social media.

    He has been called an “independent witness” by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), which is probing the drugs case in which nearly 20 people were arrested.

    The Pune police had earlier arrested Gosavi’s assistant Sherbano Kureshi in connection with the cheating case, filed by one Chinmay Deshmukh who had alleged that Gosavi cheated him of Rs 3.09 lakh under the pretext of providing him a job in Malaysia in the hotel industry.

    Kureshi had received the money in her account.

    The case was registered at Faraskhana police station here.

    Earlier, a lookout circular was also issued by the police to prevent Gosavi from leaving the country.

  • No bail for Aryan Khan yet, Bombay HC adjourns matter for Thursday

    By Online Desk

    The Bombay High Court on Wednesday adjourned the hearing of bail applications filed by Aryan Khan in connection with the alleged seizure of drugs on a cruise till Thursday. 

    The matter will be heard after 2.30 pm on Thursday, the single-judge bench of Justice Nitin Sambre said.

    ASG Anil Singh, appearing for the NCB, told the court that he would reply to arguments made by Mukul Rohatgi, Amit Desai, and Ali Kaashif Khan Deshmukh, who argued on behalf of the accused, on Thursday. “I will try to finish my arguments within one hour,” said ASG Singh.

    Desai, appearing for Arbaaz Merchant, argued that there were no grounds for any kind of conspiracy as it was alleged. “If there are three unconnected persons coming for the same purpose, that is not a conspiracy,” he said. He reiterated the arguments made in the case of Aryan, that the WhatsApp chats were unrelated to the Mumbai cruise. On Tuesday, he had argued that the WhatsApp chats between Aryan and a friend over online poker were being “misinterpreted” by the NCB as about drugs.

    Senior advocate and former AG Mukul Rohatgi, appearing on behalf of Aryan Khan, concluded his arguments on Tuesday. He termed Aryan’s arrest “arbitrary”, as the court began its bail hearing on Tuesday. Rohatgi said neither there was any recovery of drugs from Aryan Khan, nor any medical test conducted or consumption of drugs found. So there was no need to arrest him. “No recovery, no consumption, I submit I am wrongly arrested,” Rohatgi said while arguing for Aryan.

    Also, there was no material to show that Aryan financed illicit trafficking of drugs, the former AG added. “Penalty is for consumption or carrying it. I don’t have it, possession of somebody else can’t be my possession. Unless it is in my knowledge.”

    Young Aryan should be sent for rehabilitation and not jail, Rohatgi had said while citing the Centre’s plans to bring in reform measures.

    A special court in Mumbai had on last Wednesday refused to grant bail to Aryan Khan and two others in connection with the seizure of drugs. Following this, Aryan moved a bail application in the High Court against the NDPS court order on his bail rejection.

    The NCB, in its affidavit, said attempts are being made to tamper with the ongoing investigation with a malafide intention to derail the probe into the case. “This is evident from the contents of a purported affidavit of one Prabhakar Sail,” the agency said, referring to the allegations of extortion attempt made by Sail, an independent witness in the case.

    The affidavit also referred to Pooja Dadlani and said: “this lady appears to have influenced panch witnesses when the investigation is ongoing”. The NCB said the bail plea was “misconceived and ill-conceived”.

    It said the probe into the case so far has revealed Aryan Khan’s role in illicit procurement, transportation, and consumption of drugs. The agency said prima facie investigation has revealed that Aryan Khan used to procure drugs from his friend Arbaaz Merchant, also an accused in the case.

    “The applicant (Aryan Khan) was in touch with some persons abroad who appear to be part of an international drug network for illicit procurement of drugs,” it said. The affidavit further said even though there has been no recovery from Aryan Khan, he has “participated in the conspiracy”. “Prima facie investigation has revealed that this application is not just a mere consumer of drugs as sought to be made out by him,” it said.

    The applicant has not made out any case for enlargement of bail, prima facie, and/or otherwise, the NCB said. “The role of this applicant (Aryan Khan) in the commission of grave and serious offences under the NDPS Act including illicit drug trafficking is apparent considering the nexus and connection of this applicant with the other accused in the case,” the affidavit said.

    It added that there has been the recovery of an intermediate quantity of drugs from the other accused in the case and hence, the case of Aryan Khan cannot be looked at in isolation.

    “The ingredients of conspiracy are clear and evident,” the affidavit said, adding that in such cases the quantum of recovery of drugs from an individual accused becomes inconsequential. The NCB also said it is still probing the case and a charge sheet needs to be filed. It said the agency requires sufficient time to properly investigate the international linkages so as to approach the foreign agency concerned through proper channel, which would entail some more time.

    Meanwhile, Aryan Khan’s advocates submitted to the HC an additional note stating that he has nothing to do with the allegations and counter-allegations that are being circulated between the NCB’s zonal director Wankhede and certain political personalities. “The applicant (Aryan Khan) does not make any allegations against any individual in the prosecution department,” the note said.

    It further said Aryan Khan has no connection with Prabhakar Sail, an independent witness in the case, who has made allegations of extortion attempts against Wankhede and others. 

  • Aryan Khan to spend another night in jail, HC to resume bail plea hearing on Wednesday

    By Online Desk

    The Bombay High Court Tuesday adjourned the bail plea of Aryan Khan, arrested in the cruise drug seizure case, to Wednesday.

    The court will resume hearing Aryan’s bail plea at 2.30 pm on Wednesday. This means that actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son will have to spend another night at the Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai, where he has been lodged for a little over two weeks.

    A special court in Mumbai last Wednesday refused to grant bail to Aryan Khan and two others in connection with the seizure of drugs. Following this, Aryan moved a bail application in the High Court against the NDPS court order on his bail rejection.

    Earlier, former Attorney General of India, Mukul Rohatgi, who appeared for Aryan Khan, argued that the Starkid was just a guest and not a customer on the Goa-bound cruise from where the NCB nabbed him following a raid.

    Rohatgi, who was pleading before Justice Nitin Sambre of the Bombay High Court, said neither there was any recovery of drugs from Aryan Khan, nor any medical test conducted or consumption of drugs found. So there was no need to arrest him. “No recovery, no consumption, I submit I am wrongly arrested,” Rohatgi said while arguing for Aryan.

    Also, there was no material to show that Aryan financed illicit trafficking of drugs, the former AG added. “Penalty is for consumption or carrying it. I don’t have it, possession of somebody else can’t be my possession. Unless it is in my knowledge.”

    Young Aryan should be sent for rehabilitation and not jail, Rohatgi further pleaded while citing the Centre’s plans to bring in reform measures.

    “He is a young boy with no (criminal) antecedents. The law provides that if someone is found consuming drugs, one has to be taken to rehab. The approach is not to keep people in jails. The social justice ministry is talking about reforms,” the former AG argued.

    The NCB, in its affidavit, said attempts are being made to tamper with the ongoing investigation with a malafide intention to derail the probe into the case. “This is evident from the contents of a purported affidavit of one Prabhakar Sail,” the agency said, referring to the allegations of extortion attempt made by Sail, an independent witness in the case.

    The affidavit also referred to Pooja Dadlani and said: “this lady appears to have influenced panch witnesses when the investigation is ongoing”. The NCB said the bail plea was “misconceived and ill-conceived”.

    It said the probe into the case so far has revealed Aryan Khan’s role in illicit procurement, transportation, and consumption of drugs. The agency said prima facie investigation has revealed that Aryan Khan used to procure drugs from his friend Arbaaz Merchant, also an accused in the case.

    “The applicant (Aryan Khan) was in touch with some persons abroad who appear to be part of an international drug network for illicit procurement of drugs,” it said. The affidavit further said even though there has been no recovery from Aryan Khan, he has “participated in the conspiracy”. “Prima facie investigation has revealed that this application is not just a mere consumer of drugs as sought to be made out by him,” it said.

    The applicant has not made out any case for enlargement of bail, prima facie, and/or otherwise, the NCB said. “The role of this applicant (Aryan Khan) in the commission of grave and serious offences under the NDPS Act including illicit drug trafficking is apparent considering the nexus and connection of this applicant with the other accused in the case,” the affidavit said.

    It added that there has been the recovery of an intermediate quantity of drugs from the other accused in the case and hence, the case of Aryan Khan cannot be looked at in isolation.

    “The ingredients of conspiracy are clear and evident,” the affidavit said, adding that in such cases the quantum of recovery of drugs from an individual accused becomes inconsequential. The NCB also said it is still probing the case and a charge sheet needs to be filed. It said the agency requires sufficient time to properly investigate the international linkages so as to approach the foreign agency concerned through proper channel, which would entail some more time.

    Meanwhile, Aryan Khan’s advocates submitted to the HC an additional note stating that he has nothing to do with the allegations and counter-allegations that are being circulated between the NCB’s zonal director Wankhede and certain political personalities. “The applicant (Aryan Khan) does not make any allegations against any individual in the prosecution department,” the note said.

    It further said Aryan Khan has no connection with Prabhakar Sail, an independent witness in the case, who has made allegations of extortion attempts against Wankhede and others.

  • 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. 

  • ‘Family is being attacked, will take legal action’: NCB’s Sameer Wankhede replies to Nawab Malik’s ‘threat’

    By Express News Service

    MUMBAI: NCP leader and Maharashtra Minister Nawab Malik on Thursday demanded to know what was the NCB’s Mumbai region chief Sameer Wankhede doing in Dubai and the Maldives with his family during the pandemic lockdown and threatened him with jail for “concocting drug cases against Bollywood personalities”.

    “It’s very clear all this ‘vasuli’ (extortion) took place in Maldives and Dubai. I am releasing those photos. What was he doing in Maldives-Dubai, he must answer,” Malik said at a public rally in Pune amid thunderous applause.

    Daring Wankhede to come clean on his Dubai-Maldives sojourns with family, Malik, who is the national spokesperson of NCP, said attempts were made to implicate certain film folks in fake cases and parade them before the NCB.

    “Along with some Bharatiya Janata Party people, Wankhede is threatening the film industry people… I am repeating – He keeps filing false cases and arresting people based on WhatsApp chats and without any evidence. I am going to reveal more on this,” Malik warned.

    The NCP leader declared that soon, he will “expose Wankhede with full proof on all the fake cases with which he’s trying to instill fear in Bollywood,” for which he would pay a heavy price.

    “Within six months he will lose his job and within a year, he will be jailed. I am collecting evidence against him,” he said.

    He released some photos of Sameer Wankhede’s sister Jasmeen Wankhede, ostensibly shot in the Maldives with captions and tagging her friends, including Fletcher Patel who had called her the ‘Lady Don’.

    Mutha Ashok Jain, deputy director, southwest zone of NCB issued a note clarifying that Wankhede visited the Maldives with family but not Dubai. “Sameer Wankhede had sought leaves for a family trip to the Maldives on July 27, 2021. But he had not sought any leave for Dubai,” he clarified.

    After NCB’s clarification, Nawab Malik shared the photograph of Sameer Wankhede with his sister Yasmeen Wankhede at Dubai’s Grand Hyatt Hotel on December 10, 2021. Malik tweeted, “Sameer Wankhede accepted the fact that he had visited the Maldives but he denies his Dubai visit. Here is the proof of his visit to Dubai with his sister. Wankhede was at Dubai’s Grand Hyatt Hotel on December 10, 2021.”

    Wankhede reacted to Malik’s statements as a “personal attack” on him and his family members. “Even my deceased mother retired father, and sister are not spared. I strongly condemn this,” Wankhede said.

    Jasmeen Wankhede also hit back, asking whether “Malik is a judge”, and said she was accountable to her family or friends and the NCP leader had no business to make public her private trip.

    Sameer Wankhede, who had arrested Malik’s son-in-law Sameer Khan in January 2021 in an alleged drugs case, said in an anguished tone: “I fail to understand why the attacks on me, my sister, my retired father, my deceased mother when I am merely doing my duty. The cases are sub-judice. I will give a fitting reply later.”

    Malik added that after the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput (June 2020), Wankhede was brought to the NCB but the mystery continues whether Sushant committed suicide or it was a murder.

    “But, thereafter, the NCB has started playing its games with the film industry. Dozens of stars were summoned on WhatsApp conversations. Rhea Chakraborty was arrested for some Rs 4,000 payment.”

    He reiterated his demand to probe the WhatsApp records of Sameer Wankhede which would reveal the “bogus” nature of the NCB’s cases.

    Bharatiya Janata Party state President Chandrakant Patil said that Malik is rattled by the arrest of his son-in-law and has been slamming the NCB for the past two weeks.

    The war between the NCB-NCP erupted after the probe agency raided a rave party aboard a cruise ship and arrested 8 persons, including Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan – all now in judicial custody till October 30.

    Later, the NCB nabbed 12 others, and on Thursday, actress Ananya Panday was summoned for probe, which will continue further on Friday.

  • Drugs-on-cruise case: Aryan Khan’s custody extended till October 30, Ananya Panday grilled

    By Online Desk

    The Special NCB Sessions court in Mumbai on Thursday extended the judicial custody of Aryan Khan and seven others till October 30 in the drugs-on-cruise case.

    The accused were not produced in court either physically or through video conference. Aryan Khan was earlier sent to 14-day judicial custody on October 7.

    Meanwhile, actor Ananya Panday’s residence in Mumbai was raided by the NCB sleuths. Her laptop and mobile phone were seized in connection with the drugs-on-cruise case. Later, Panday went for her questioning to the NCB office with her actor father Chunky Panday.

    Earlier on the day, Shah Rukh Khan met Aryan at the Arthur Road jail where the latter has been lodged following arrest in the drugs-on-cruise case.

    The actor reached the prison located in Mumbai Central around 9 am and left at 9.35 am, the official said. He met his son for about 10 minutes, according to sources.

    A large number of mediapersons and local residents had gathered outside the prison when the actor arrived. Heavy police security was also deployed outside the jail premises.

    So far, family members of the prisoners were not being allowed to visit the jail in view of the Covid pandemic. The prison authorities started allowing the family members of prisoners to visit them from Thursday morning, the official said.

    Aryan Khan had moved the Bombay High Court on Wednesday evening after a special NDPS court here rejected his bail plea in the afternoon.

    The special court, while refusing bail, had observed that Aryan Khan was involved in “illicit drug activities on a regular basis” and had a nexus with drug peddlers and suppliers.

    The lower court had also rejected the bail pleas of Aryan Khan’s friend Arbaaz Merchant and fashion model Munmun Dhamecha.

    The three were arrested on October 3 by the NCB after it raided the Goa-bound ship and claimed to have seized drugs, including charas. They are now in judicial custody.

    While Aryan Khan and Merchant are lodged at the Arthur Road prison, Dhamecha is lodged at the Byculla women’s prison in the city.

    The trio and others were held in the case for alleged conspiracy, possession, consumption, purchase and trafficking of drugs under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

    So far, 20 people have been arrested in the case.