Mumbai Drug Bust Timeline: What happened before and after Aryan Khan’s arrest

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan, 23, was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) along with seven others including Arbaaz Merchantt and Munmun Dhamecha on charges of consumption, sale, and purchase of narcotic drugs after an alleged rave party was busted aboard a luxury cruise liner. On October 7, the Mumbai magistrate’s court sent the star kid, besides seven others accused to 14 days of judicial custody. Aryan’s lawyer Satish Maneshinde had then filed a bail plea. Mumbai’s Esplanade court on Friday rejected the bail plea of Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Khan and Munmun Dhamecha in the drugs case.

What happened before and after Aryan Khan’s arrest?

During the hearing on Thursday (October 7), Aryan Khan’s lawyer Satish Maneshinde put forth his arguments and explained to the court the events that led to his arrest in connection to the drugs case.

• Mumbai’s Esplanade court rejected the bail plea of Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Khan and Munmun Dhamecha, in the case related to the seizure of drugs following a raid at a party on a cruise ship off the Mumbai coast.
• Aryan Khan did not appear before the court. Instead, he underwent medical tests and was taken to Arthur Road jail.
• Under the NDPS Act, NCB has already opposed the regular bail. Esplanade Magistrate court heard the bail plea at 12:30 pm on Friday (October 8).
• Aryan Khan applied for bail. Satish Manshinde filed two bail applications in court. One interim bail so that the 23-year-old gets immediate bail and the other regular bail i.e. allowing Aryan to be on bail till the time this case is investigated.
• Aryan and others accused underwent RT-PCR tests on Thursday night.
• Satish Maneshinde requested the court to allow Aryan Khan and others to stay in the NCB office on Thursday night because the jail doesn’t allow admissions at night. The court accepted the request.
• Besides Aryan Khan, those arrested by the NCB include Arbaaz Merchant, Munmun Dhamecha, Nupur Satija, Ishmeet Chadha, Mohak Jaiswal, Gomit Chopra, Vikrant Chhokar and a drug supplier from suburban Juhu.
• At the end of the session, Aryan Khan, Arbaz Merchant and six others were sent to judicial custody for 14 days. Court said the case will be heard by a special NDPS court. 
• NCB argued that Aryan Khan’s custody should be extended as the agency needs to confront him and Arbaaz with another accused Achit Kumar who was arrested based on disclosers made by Aryan.
• Satish Maneshinde added in the last two nights Aryan Khan was not interrogated. His custody should not be extended. 
• After Aryan was taken to the NCB office, he was searched again and the agency found nothing. They took Aryan’s phone in custody. Maneshinde argued, “I have no connection to any of the organisers. I do not deny my friendship with Arbaaz but I am not connected with his activities. He himself says he came on his own.”
• Aryan and Arbaaz were searched before they boarded the ship. Satish Maneshinde said, “I reached the gate at the terminal. Arbaaz was also there. Before we could go to the ship, NCB asked us questions. When we started for the ship, they asked questions if I took drugs and searched my bags and my person. They found nothing,”
• Maneshinde further informed that Aryan Khan’s chats with Prateek can confirm this fact. He also claimed that Prateek is Arbaaz’s friend too and hence, the latter was also invited to the party.
• According to Maneshinde, Aryan Khan was a VVIP guest at the Mumbai Cruise Party. He was invited by his friend Prateek “to add glamour”. He stated, “I have a friend, Prateek, who introduced me to someone who was in touch with the organisers. He said I will be invited as VVIP. Only with that intention to add glamour to the cruise, I went. There were 1,300 people and they have arrested only 17.”