Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan spent 22 days in jail in connection with the case.
Approaching the end of its six-month deadline to frame charges against Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan in the drugs-on-cruise case, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) today sought more time to build its case, saying that its investigations are still on.
The agency, in its plea, cited a prime witness turning hostile as one of the reasons for its request to extend the deadline by another 90 days. The agency was supposed to submit the chargesheet by April 2 (Saturday).
In its application before special judge VV Patil filed on Monday, the probe agency said the substances seized in the drugs-on-cruise case, in which Aryan Khan is "Accused No. 1", were narcotics that come under the ambit of the NDPS Act.
The probe agency further stated that some of the accused are "highly influential" have incriminating chats with foreign nationals who are located outside India also. The chats were still being examined as foreign nationals were involved, the anti-drugs agency said.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation in the country from November 2021 to February 2022, the response has been delayed from foreign agencies, the plea said.
Though the agency's plea didn't name Aryan Khan, it has during court hearings claimed that the Bollywood superstar's son was in touch with some persons who appeared to be a part of an international drug network for procurement of drugs.
"During the initial investigation, some international linkages pertinent to this applicant (Aryan Khan) have been unearthed, which prima facie indicate towards illicit drug procurement. The investigation requires sufficient time so as to approach the foreign agency concerned," the NCB had said in an earlier affidavit opposing Aryan's bail.
Seeking time to file a chargesheet, the NCB in its plea claimed that the investigation was almost complete with respect to six accused as their role is intertwined and interconnected.
These six accused are Mohak Jaiswal, Gomit Chopra, Nupur Satija Abdul Kadar Chinedu Igwe and Okoro Uzeoma, it was stated.
The examination and recording of voluntary statement of K P Gosavi, the main witness during the two recoveries made on October 2, 2021, is not complete, as he is under judicial custody in other cases.
The second witness - Prabhakar Sail - has turned hostile and his purported affidavit in this regard is still pending before the court, the agency said. Thus in such a situation, examining Gosavi becomes necessary and pivotal to unearth the true and correct facts of this case, it added.
The case involves 20 accused, from different parts of the country, and due to restricted public movement during the third wave of the pandemic many of the accused did not turn up for investigation on time, which has resulted in unintentional delay, the plea stated.
Of the 20 arrested accused in the case, two are in judicial custody, while rest, including Aryan, are out on bail.
Aryan Khan was named an accused in the case along with 19 others by the NCB last year.
The 24-year-old was arrested by the NCB on October 3, following a raid on a cruise ship off the coast of Mumbai.
(With inputs from PTI)