"Aryan Khan's Arrest Is Forgery": Nawab Malik On Cruise Ship Drug Case

Maharashtra Cabinet Minister and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Nawab Malik on Wednesday alleged that Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) raid onboard a Mumbai cruise was "forgery", and BJP has misused the central agency to frame Aryan Khan.

Addressing the media, the NCP leader alleged that "not even a single gram of drug was seized on the cruise or at the terminal."

"Aryan Khan's arrest is a forgery. For the last one month, information was being circulated to crime reporters that the next target is actor Shah Rukh Khan," said Mr Malik.

"Not even one gram of drug was seized on the cruise, not even on the terminal. The drug was not even found with any one of the accused. Whatever the video of the sample has been shared by the NCB, it has been made in the Zonal Director's office which is against the procedure of seizure," he added.

Citing a video in which those detained from the Mumbai cruise were seen being taken to the NCB office, Mr Mallik alleged that "the person taking him (Aryan Khan) to the office is a BJP leader Manish Bhanushali."

Further referring to the Sushant Singh Rajput case, the NCP leader said that attempts were made to malign the name of Bollywood.

"The FIR was registered in Bihar and the Bihar government had transferred the case to the CBI. Then the news came that he was murdered because of drugs. The news was planted. Attempts were made to malign the film industry. The film stars were summoned one after the other," he said.

Mr Mallik said that "the perception was created that the entire Bollywood in Mumbai has become a nexus of drug rackets."

Eight persons including Aryan Khan, Arbaz Seth Merchant, Munmun Dhamecha, Vikrant Chhoker, Ismeet Singh, Nupur Sarika, Gomit Chopra and Mohak Jaswal were produced before Mumbai's Esplanade Court on Monday which remanded them to Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) custody till October 7.

An NCB team busted an alleged drugs party on the Cordelia Cruise ship which was on its way to Goa at mid-sea on Saturday night.