A city court on Tuesday sent four more arrested in the mid-sea drug bust to the custody of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) till October 11, even as the total number of persons in the sensational case mounted to 12.
A day after a city court remanded Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s eldest son Aryan Khan and seven others in its custody till October 7, the NCB produced before four more accused --Abdul Qadir Sheikh (30),Shreyas Nair (23), Manish Darya (26) and Avin Sahu (30) before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate R. M. Nerlikar, who sent them to the NCB’s custody till Monday next.
The new four arrests were made in the case late on Monday and Tuesday. of them, the name had cropped up during the questioning of two arrested accused Aryan and Arbaaz Merchantt. The NCB suspects that the drugs used at the rave party held on a Goa-bound cruise ship on Saturday night might have been bought by the youngsters using crypto currency.
Meanwhile, informed sources in the federal anti-agency said that the NCB had arrested four persons linked to M/s Namas'cray Experience Private Limited, which organised a rave party on board the Goa-bound Cordelia Cruises' Empress ship. All the newly arrested persons are from New Delhi.. However, there was no official word as yet from the NCB.
Like the earlier accused, the current four accused have been booked under sections 8(c) (produce, manufacture, possess, sell or purchase of drugs) and 27 (punishment for consumption of any narcotics or drugs) and 27 A ( punishment for financing illicit traffic and harbouring offenders) of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS).
In his order sending four newly arrested accused in the case to the NCB’s custody till October 11, Additional CMM Nerlikar noted: “Considering the submissions and nature of offence, I am of the view that thorough investigation be carried out of the accused custody. I remand them to NCB’s custody till October 11”.
Rejecting the plea for a shorter duration of custody, the Additional CMM said: ``The submissions made by both parties and the quantity alleged contraband seized from the accused, I am of the view that legal investigation is required to be carried out to go to root of case for the NCB authorities”.
Twenty-three-year-old Aryan and seven others were initially detained on Saturday night and later arrested on Sunday, after the NCB officials busted a rave party and seized 13 grams of cocaine, 5 grams of MD (Mephedrone), 21 grams of Charas, 22 pills of MDMA (Ecstasy) and Rs 1.33 lakh in cash from Goa-bound Cordelia Cruises' Empress ship, off the Mumbai coast here.
In his order extending the NCB custody of Aryan and two others -----Arbaaz Seth Merchantt and Munmun Dhamecha --till October 7, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Nerlikar had observed in his order: “For the circumstances presented to me, it seems that the co-accused possess intermediate contraband and the present accused (Khan) accompanied them. Investigation is of prime importance. It will be essential for the Prosecution and accused to prove is innocent”.
The five others arrested along with Aryan, Arbaaz and Munmun were sent to the NCB custody till October 7 late in the evening on Monday.
In a related development, the NCB is looking into the role of Kashiff Khan, managing director of FTV India, in the mid-sea drug bust case. FTV India had hired the services from Namas'cray Experience Private Limited to organise the event on board Cordelia Cruises' Empress ship.
At the hearing held on Monday, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Anil Singh -- while rooting for the accused till October 11, had said: "There is incriminating material found through WhatsApp chats with drug peddlers. Raids are going on now. Shocking incriminating material in WhatsApp shows international drug trafficking."
He also cited judgements passed by the Bombay High Court judgments holding that all offences under the NDPS Act ---- under which Aryan and other accused have been booked, non-bailable.
"Ultimately, the person may not be found with commercial quantity but then custody is required to find out the chain or links...Where is the financing made, who is the source, all this needs to be found out. So we are only asking for a few more days of custody,” the ASG had averred.
"Taking drugs has become very common. College going kids are taking. Regular students may get influenced due to the high profile persons taking drugs. Hence, we are trying to curb the menace. All three should be sent to NCB custody," the ASG had told the court.
However, Aryan’s lawyer Satish Maneshinde had argued that no drugs were found or seized from his client. He told the court that Aryan was a “special invitee” by the organisers - and he cannot be held responsible for the seizure.
Presenting the argument from his client’s point of view, Maneshinde said: "The panchnama does not indicate anything seized from me except my mobile. My friend was arrested because he had 6 gms of charas, with which I was not connected."
"Upon further interrogation, they have downloaded my WhatsApp chats. While I was abroad, they claim that my chats indicate international drug trafficking. The entire period of my stay abroad, I have not been involved in any trafficking, supply or distribution".
"As of now, in 48 hours, nothing has been found against me. Any prayer for further custody may be rejected. Whatever they had to interrogate with me, they have. I have cooperated, and they also were nice to me. I showed my good conduct. Did not delete anything,” Maneshinde had argued.