The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) today suspended two officers for negligence. One of the officers was also involved in the drugs-on-cruise case involving Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan.
Aryan Khan was arrested during an NCB raid on a cruise ship off the Mumbai coast on October 3, 2021. He and 19 others were booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act for alleged possession, consumption, sale/purchase of banned drugs, conspiracy and abetment.Aryan and 17 others got bail while only two accused are currently in judicial custody.
Superintendent VV Singh and intelligence officer Ashish Ranjan Prasad, for alleged "dereliction of duty" in investigations conducted by them, officials said.
However, officials said, their suspension was not linked to the cruise drugs case which led to a controversy after allegations of procedural lapses and extortion were made against the sleuths by an independent witness, Prabhakar Sail, who recently died from heart attack.
Senior officials told PTI that Mr Singh and Mr Prasad have been placed under suspension for alleged "dereliction of duty" in investigations conducted by them in the NCB zonal office in Mumbai.
The orders for their suspension were approved by NCB director general S N Pradhan on the basis of a report and recommendation made by the zonal director or head of the NCB unit in Mumbai and regional director (deputy director general south-west) Ashok Mutha Jain.
The NCB is the apex agency against drug-related crimes in the country.