Cruise ship party case: There are more suspects, says NCB Mumbai Director
Oct 04, 2021
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], October 5 : Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Mumbai Director Sameer Wankhede has said that there are more suspects in connection with the Cruise ship party case.
"Operational procedure on. There are more suspects and probe is underway. Eight were presented before the court, of which five arrested and sent to four-day judicial custody," Wankhede told the media waiting outside the NCB office.
An NCB team busted an alleged drugs party on the Cordelia Cruise ship which was on its way to Goa at mid-sea on October 2 night. Eight persons were detained for questioning by the NCB in connection with the drug seizure on the cruise ship, according to NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede. All of the eight persons were later arrested on October 3.
Three accused including Aryan Khan, Arbaz Seth Merchant, and Munmun Dhamecha were produced before Mumbai's Esplanade Court which remanded them to NCB custody till October 4.
As per the NCB, three persons have been booked under Section 8C, 20B, 27 (Punishment for consumption of any narcotic drug or psychotropic substance) and 35 (Presumption of culpable mental state) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS Act).
Section 8C of NDPS Act refers to prohibition to produce, manufacture, possess, sell, purchase, transport, warehouse, use, consume, import inter-State, export inter-State, import into India, export from India or tranship any narcotic drug or psychotropic substance while Section 20B deals with punishment for producing, manufacturing, possessing, selling, purchasing, transportation, imports inter-State, exports inter-State or use of cannabis.
Satish Maneshinde, the lawyer arguing in defence of Aryan Khan said in the Court, "Accused number 1, Aryan Khan was invited for the cruise party. However, he did not have a boarding pass. He didn't have any seats or cabins there.
Secondly, according to the seizure, nothing has been found in his possession. He is arrested only based on chats."
Other accused in the case include Nupur Satija, Ishmeet Singh Chadha, Mohak Jaiswal, Gomit Chopra and Vikrant Chhokar.
