NCB looking at bigger ‘Bollywood connection’ in cruise ship rave party case

Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) chief SN Pradhan said the NCB has widened its investigation and has summoned organisers and event managers of Saturday's party. Crew members of the ship and some foreign nationals are also under the agency's scanner.

Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) chief SN Pradhan said on Sunday that the agency is looking at a bigger Bollywood connection in the Mumbai cruise ship rave party case in which Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan's son has been arrested and remanded to one-day NCB custody.

Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan and seven other people were detained by the NCB early on Sunday. (ANI Photo)

Pradhan said the NCB has widened its investigation and has summoned organisers and event managers of Saturday's party. Crew members of the ship and some foreign nationals are also under the agency's scanner.

The NCB on Saturday night carried out a raid at a Goa-bound cruise ship in Mumbai. During the raid, officials seized drugs such as cocaine, MD (mephedrone), charas and MDMA (ecstasy).

"There is a Bollywood connection and we are investigating all angles of the case. We are looking at the main supplier and the entire cartel behind this drugs case," Pradhan told news agency PTI. He added the investigation will be carried out professionally.

The NCB chief pointed out that the agency made painstaking efforts and was working on leads for some time, after which officials entered the cruise ship posing as passengers and carried out the raids.

Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan and seven other people were detained by the NCB early on Sunday. Later in the day, Aryan Khan, Arbaz Seth Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha were arrested. All three have been remanded to NCB custody till Monday (October 4) and the hearing will take place on Monday afternoon.

The remaining five are being questioned and can be arrested if incriminating evidence as per the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) is found against them, PTI further reported citing sources.