Narcotics Control Bureau

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate R.M. Nerlikar rejected the bail applications of Aryan, Arbaaz Merchant, and Munmun Dhamecha, on grounds of "maintainability", upholding the contentions of the NCB legal team. Shortly after the verdict, lawyers for some of the accused told the media that though the detailed reasoning for the ACMM's order will come later.

The two women accused - Munmun Dhamecha and Nupur Sarika - were sent to the Byculla Women's Jail, and the others - Arbaaz Merchant, Vikrant Chhoker, Ismeet Singh, Mohak Jaswal, and Gomit Chopra were sent to the ARCJ, along with Aryan Khan.

The NCB has so far arrested around 18 people in the drugs case, including, Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan's son -- Aryan Khan who has been sent to 14 days of judicial custody. But even as the case is progressing further, there are some layers, when unearthed, raise eyebrows. The first thing which comes into our mind is how was the contraband taken to the luxury ship?

The NCB has so far arrested 18 persons in the drugs case, including, Hindi mega-star Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan who has been now sent to 14 days of judicial custody. But even as the case is progressing further, there are several layers, when unearthed, raise eyebrows. The first thing which comes into the mind is how was the contraband taken to the luxury ship? The NCB had said that during the raid, it recovered various popular party drugs like Cocaine, MDMA, Ecstasy, Mephedrone and Charas.

Declining the NCB's plea for another four days custody till October 11 for the 8 main accused, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate R.M. Nerlikar sent them to 14 days judicial custody and also transferred the case for further hearing to the Special NDPS Court.

NCP national spokesperson and state Minority Affairs Minister Nawab Malik slammed the NCB operations, terming it as a 'fraud' in which BJP leader Manish Bhanushali and a so-called 'private detective' Kiran P. Gosavi were seen hauling out some of the accused, including Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan and Arbaaz Merchant.

However, the NCB scoffed the claims of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) spokesperson and Maharashtra Minister Nawab Malik as "baseless, with malice to malign the agency's image and in retaliation against an earlier actoin of the NCB". On Wednesday afternoon, Malik had made the sensational claim that a BJP 'vice-president', Manish Bhanushali, and another 'private detective', Kiran Gosavi, were involved in the NCB operation on Sunday.

The accused former police officer has been nabbed in connection with the case of detection of 3.5 kilograms of Hashish oil worth Rs 1 crore at the Kochi airport on September 12 in which one person had been held. Since then the kingpin was eluding investigating officers. The accused had packed the drug consignments into boxes as a 'prasad' (a food or dish offering to a deity, which is later shared with worshippers) and also as Ayurveda medicines.