Ananya Panday's Questioning By Anti-Drug Agency To Continue Today

Actor Ananya Panday was questioned for two hours Thursday by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), which raided her Mumbai home and also seized her laptop and mobile phone in its investigations into the drugs-on-cruise case in which Aryan Khan and others were arrested earlier this month.

Ananya Panday has been summoned again for questioning today at 11 AM. On Thursday, she went to the NCB office with her father Chunky Panday, also an actor.

The 22-year-old debuted in films in 2019 and is counted in Bollywood's big league.

Ananya Panday's name reportedly featured in the WhatsApp chats of one of the accused in the case involving drugs seized during a rave party on a cruise on October 2.

"Just because she is being questioned does not mean she's an accused," an NCB officer said.

Shah Rukh Khan's 23-year-old son Aryan Khan, his friend Arbaaz Merchant and several others were arrested after raids on the ship by NCB officers in disguise. The case against Aryan Khan is based entirely on his WhatsApp chats; no drugs were found on him.

Ananya Panday and Aryan Khan are part of a group of star children who have been known to socialise together. Ananya and Aryan's sister Suhana are best friends.

The star kids are the latest in the anti-drug agency's crosshairs after many prominent names were questioned or arrested in connection with an alleged "Bollywood-drugs" link that emerged in course of the Sushant Singh Rajput death investigations.

Aryan Khan has been in jail since October 8 and was denied bail on Wednesday by a court that said his WhatsApp chat revealed his involvement in "illicit drug activities".

Though Aryan Khan's lawyers argued that nothing was found on him, the court said six grams of charas was hidden in his friend Arbaaz Merchant's shoe, and it seemed Aryan Khan knew about it, so "it can be said that it was in conscious possession of both the accused".

The special court said: "WhatsApp chats prima facie reveals accused Aryan Khan is dealing in illicit drug activities for narcotic substances on regular basis."

It also said the chats revealed a "nexus of the Accused no 1 (Aryan Khan) with suppliers and peddlers".

"Evidence on record shows the accused are part of a larger network. Since the accused are part of the conspiracy, each of them is liable for the entire quantity of drugs seized. And that the case of each accused can't be segregated from each other and can't be considered in isolation".