Aryan Khan gets clean chit in cruise ship drugs case: Here’s a timeline of events that unfolded

Aryan Khan. File Pic

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on May 27 gave a clean chit to Aryan Khan, son of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, in cruise ship drugs case.

In a statement, the NCB said, "Based on input, NCB Mumbai had on October 2, 2021, intercepted Vikrant, Ishmeet, Arbaaz, Aryan and Gomit at International Port Terminal, Mumbai Port Trust, and Nupur, Mohak and Munmum at the Cordelia Cruise. All the accused persons were found in possession of narcotics except Aryan and Mohak."

"Initially, the case was investigated by NCB Mumbai. Later, an SIT from NCB headquarters in New Delhi headed by Sanjay Kumar Singh, DDG (Operations), was constituted to investigate the case, which was taken over by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on November 11, 2021," the anti-drug agency said.

SIT carried out its investigation in objective manner. The touchstone of the principle of proof beyond reasonable doubt has been applied. Based on the investigation carried out by the SIT, a complaint against 14 persons under various sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act is being filed, it said, adding that complaint against rest six persons is not being filed due to lack of sufficient evidence.

Meanwhile, the NCB submitted a chargesheet in the case on May 27. It submitted the chargesheet before the registry and the special NDPS court will take its cognizance after the verification of the documents.

What is Cordelia drugs case?

On October 2, Aryan Khan left his home in Mumbai's Bandra to attend a party on board Cordelia Cruise. A team of the Narcotics Control Bureau's Mumbai unit, led by then zonal director Sameer Wankhede, boarded the ship disguised as passengers after receiving a tip-off.

After boarding the cruise ship, NCB officials began a search. The same night, it was reported that the NCB had allegedly seized various illegal drugs such as cocaine, charas, and MDMA from the ship and detained several people, including Aryan Khan.

Here is a timeline of the cruise drugs case:

October 2: NCB conducted a raid at an alleged drugs party on the Cordelia Cruise which was on its way to Goa at mid-sea and detained several people.

October 3: Actor Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan, his friend Arbaaz Merchant and model Munmun Dhamecha were arrested and remanded to NCB custody till the next day, that is, October 4.

October 4: Aryan Khan and others were again produced before the city court. The NCB claims photos and chats on Aryan's phone point to an international drug trafficking. The court remands them in further custody till October 7.

October 5: Four more accused were arrested in the matter and were sent to NCB custody till October 14.

October 7: A foreign national was arrested in the matter from Mumbai's Bandra area. Further, the Mumbai court sent Aryan Khan and seven others to judicial custody for 14 days. Aryan Khan seeks bail.

October 8: The metropolitan magistrate's court rejected the bail applications filed by Aryan Khan, his friend Arbaaz Merchant and anchor-model Munmun Dhamecha, stating they were not maintainable before it. Further, Aryan Khan and other accused were brought to Arthur Road Jail.

October 11: Lawyers of the accused moved to a Mumbai special court designated under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Special Court decided to hear the case on October 14. The defence lawyers opposed the one-week time sought by the NCB.

October 13: Aryan's bail application gets adjourned till 12 noon on October 14 by Mumbai sessions court.

October 14: Pune City Police has issued a lookout notice for Kiran Gosavi, the witness in the NCB raid on the cruise ship off the Mumbai coast. Further, the Mumbai Special NDPS court reserves its order for October 20 on the bail application of Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha. Aryan Khan fails to secure bail and was sent back to jail till Wednesday, October 20.

October 20: Special NDPS court rejects bail plea of Aryan Khan and other accused.

October 21: Shah Rukh Khan meets his son in jail. Mumbai's Special Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) court extended the judicial custody of Aryan Khan and others till October 30.

October 24: The bodyguard of NCB witness Kiran Gosavi, Prabhakar Sail alleges that Gosavi took Rs 50 lakh from an individual after the raid on the cruise. Sail is also a witness in the case.

October 26: Bombay High Court adjourns the hearing on the bail application of Aryan Khan.

October 28: Gosavi arrested by Pune police. The Bombay High Court resumes hearing on Aryan Khan bail application. Meanwhile, the NCB orders a vigilance inquiry into the claims made by Sail, a witness in the cruise drugs case, of an alleged extortion bid of Rs 25 crore by some agency officials, including its Mumbai zonal director Sameer Wankhede, for letting off Aryan Khan.

October 28: Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant, and Munmun Dhamecha granted bail by the Bombay High Court in the drugs-on-cruise case after 3 weeks.

October 28: Aryan Khan was granted bail on some conditions. One of the conditions imposed on him was that he should appear before the NCB's Mumbai office every Friday to mark his presence.

October 30: Aryan walks out of the Arthur Road prison, after 22 days in the central Mumbai facility following his arrest.

November 2021: The NCB removes Wankhede from the probe and transfers the case to a Delhi-based SIT formed under its deputy Director-General (operations) Sanjay Kumar Singh.

December 2021: The Bombay High Court exempts Aryan Khan from his weekly appearance before the Narcotics Control Bureau's (NCB) office in Mumbai in connection with the drugs-on-cruise case.

March 2022: A special court grants the NCB a 60-day extension to file the chargesheet.

April 2022: Prabhakar Sail, an independent witness of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in the drugs-on-cruise case involving Aryan Khan, dies of a heart attack at his residence in Chembur, Mumbai.

May 27, 2022: NCB files the chargesheet in which Aryan Khan was given a clean chit.

(With inputs from Agencies)