Aryan Khan summoned by Delhi NCB SIT; Arbaaz Merchant, Achit Kumar questioned: Sources

Update:

Sources have informed that the Delhi NCB SIT has asked Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan to appear before the agency for questioning before 6 pm on Sunday. 

After taking over the investigation into the Cordelia Cruise case, the team of Delhi NCB SIT has summoned SRK's son Aryan Khan for questioning. As per sources, in the 6 cases that the NCB SIT is investigating, all the accused will be called for questioning. The agency has already summoned Aryan's friend and co-accused Arbaaz Merchant and Achit Kumar for questioning. Both have reached the NCB office today. Now, the agency led by NCB Deputy Director General Sanjay Kumar Singh has summoned Aryan Khan and has asked him to appear before the SIT.

Earlier today, sources informed that the six-member SIT team from the Operations Branch of the NCB Headquarters in Delhi visited the Cordelia Cruise in Mumbai on Saturday night. The SIT had reached Mumbai on Saturday, 6 November 2021, to take over the cruise drug bust case. After the team's arrival in the city, NCB Deputy Director General Sanjay Kumar Singh had said, "We have taken over a group of 6 cases. He (Sameer Wankhede) is the zonal director of Mumbai, we will definitely take his assistance in the investigation."

The Narcotics Control Bureau had also cleared the air over reports that Sameer Wankhede has been 'removed' from the investigation. Issuing a statement, the NCB informed that no officer had been removed. They also stated that the officers from the NCB's Mumbai Unit will continue assisting in the investigation as required unless specific orders are issued. 

Aryan Khan granted bail

After 26 days in custody, the Bombay HC on October 28 allowed bail to Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha in NCB's cruise drug bust case. The Bollywood superstar's son was detained by the NCB on October 2 after a drug raid on the Cordelia cruise ship heading for Goa. Following their custody at NCB, Aryan Khan and Arbaaz Merchant were remanded to judicial custody at Arthur Road Jail since October 7 while Munmun Dhamecha was sent to Byculla Women's Jail.

The main legal recourse adopted by Aryan's team was that he did not 'consume' or 'possess' illegal drugs on board and he was not part of any 'conspiracy' or 'drug trafficking', as alleged by the NCB. Aryan's lawyer and former Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi argued that Aryan only went to the cruise with Arbaaz on whom six grams of charas was found. "Dealers do not have 2.6 gms, they have 200 gms," he told the court.