Aryan Khan’s arrest is now turning into a political issue
Mumbai:
A top official of the anti-drug agency Narcotics Control Bureau, who is probing the case in which megastar Shah Rukh Khan’s son has been arrested, has alleged that he is being spied on, agency sources said. NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede raided a cruise ship off the Mumbai coast earlier this month, leading to the arrest of Aryan Khan.
Sources in the agency said Mr Wankhede and senior officer Mutha Jain have met the Maharashtra police chief to complain about the surveillance. NCB sources said that the officer has complained that he has come to know that some people are keeping a watch on his activities.
Agency sources said they have come to know that two persons, claiming to be police officers, use CCTV footage from a graveyard Mr Wangkhede regularly visits as his mother is buried there.
Mr Wankhede declined to comment on the issue, saying the matter was “very serious”.
For the third time, Aryan Khan was denied bail today, with the agency arguing that he has to be interrogated along with other accused to track down the international drug cartels involved in the case.
Aryan Khan, his friend Arbaaz Merchant and six others were arrested last week. The agency did not find any drugs on Aryan Khan, but said that his WhatsApp chat was shoddy.
With Aryan Khan’s arrest now turning into a political issue, leaders of Maharashtra’s ruling coalition have questioned the agency’s handling of the matter.
Last week, a senior leader of the Nationalist Congress Party, Nawab Malik, said that the person who took a viral selfie with Aryan Khan is a private investigator, KP Gosavi, and questioned whether an operation carried out by a central outsider How were people allowed? agency.
Mr Malik also said that Manish Bhanushali, a senior BJP leader, was also seen in the raids. This, he said, proved the BJP’s hand in “defaming Maharashtra with a fake drug bust”.
Both Manish Bhanushali and the agency have denied the allegations. Bhanushali said, “The BJP has nothing to do with this (arrest). I had received information on October 1 that there was to be a drugs party. I was with the NCB officials (on the ship) for more details.” According to news agency ANI.
The anti-drug agency has named the two men as “independent witnesses” for the raid. Describing the allegations as “baseless”, agency official Dnyaneshwar Singh said, “NCB reiterates that its process has been and continues to be transparent and fair, legally and professionally”.
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