Aryan Khan was “not even on the cruise” raided by anti-drugs officers on October 2, that the allegation of traffic against him is “absurd”, his lawyer today told a Mumbai court hearing the 23-year-old star son’s bail request within the drugs-on-cruise case. The bail hearing will continue tomorrow.
Amit Desai, representing Shah Rukh Khan’s son, said the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB)’s raid started when he had not even checked into the cruise which he had neither used drugs nor was anything found on him.
“The allegation of illicit trafficking is inherently absurd. This boy who has nothing, he wasn’t even on the vessel. it’s an absurd and false allegation,” he said.
Also, Aryan Khan “had no cash” when he was on the cruise liner so he couldn’t have bought drugs, the lawyer added.
On the NCB claim that Aryan Khan had “admitted he was getting ready to use charas that was found on Arbaaz Merchant”, his defence team said the admissions were forced.
“The court knows how people are forced to create these statements,” said Amit Desai, who once represented actor Salman Khan.
Aryan Khan was arrested hours after the anti-drugs agency’s officers raided a Mumbai ocean liner party in disguise on October 2. Seven others, including his friend Arbaaz Merchant, were arrested on October 3.
Mr Desai said while the investigations were meant to concentrate on drugs consumed or bought on the ship, Aryan Khan was dragged into the case.
“I thank the NCB for its cut-paste job. the primary remand application failed to have the names of the opposite accused,” said Mr Desai.
He said the agency later claimed it had found evidence of a global drugs ring on Aryan’s WhatsApp and asked for his custody extension supported the arrest of 1 person, Achit Kumar, an alleged drugs supplier.
Earlier today, the NCB submitted an announcement to the court on its investigations into the allegations against Aryan Khan; it told the court that he and every one the opposite accused are connected and their roles can not be separated.
Aryan Khan accused No. 1 for the NCB – sourced drugs and was in reality with “some persons abroad who appear to be part of a world Drug Network for illicit procurement of drugs”, the anti-drugs agency said. All those arrested “are inextricably connected with each other” and “it isn’t possible to dissect the role, involvement of 1 accused from that of the other”, it said.
“The ingredients of conspiracy are clear and evident,” said the bureau, adding that “one of the applicants can not be considered in isolation”.
On Aryan Khan’s defence that no drugs were found on him, the agency said: “Even though from some accused persons there’s no recovery or recovery of small quantity of contraband, the participation by acts and omissions of such persons who have acted collectively, conspiracy within the commission of offences forms the premise of this investigation.”
The situation was specified “the quantum of recovery from a private accused becomes inconsequential”.
The NCB also said, “Accused no 1 features a role in to this point as illicit procurement and distribution of contraband is anxious… it’s clear revealed that Aryan Khan accustomed procure contraband from Accused no 2 (Arbaaz). And sourced connected to Accused no 2 from whose conscious possession (shoes) 6 grams of charas was recovered. Aryan and Arbaaz are associated in close collaboration.”
