Found links to the dark web, Bitcoin: NCB’s Sameer Wankhede on cruise ship drug case

Aryan Khan, son of movie star Shah Rukh Khan, was denied bail on Monday after his arrest in the Mumbai drugs-on-cruise case. The 23-year-old was sent to the custody of anti-drugs agency Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) till October 7 by a Mumbai court. 

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) asked for an extension of custody citing reasons that fresh arrests and investigation had revealed new links in the case that needed to be further investigated. Previously, NCB’s Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede said that they would not ask for extension of custody.

Also Read: Shah Rukh Khan likely to postpone Spain shoot of ‘Pathan’ amid son Aryan Khan’s case

When ETimes reached out to Wankhede for a clarification on the same, he said, “We asked for custody of Aryan Khan because there’s still a lot more left to investigate in the case. A lot of new arrests have happened, where we have caught drug peddlers who used to supply illegal substances to parties.

“During these arrests we’ve found links to the dark web and Bitcoin as well. We have recovered drugs in commercial quantities. The quantum of the case has become more serious, therefore we need to investigate further”.

When asked if there was any evidence that Aryan was directly involved in these new developments, Wankhede replied, “I cannot make any claims prematurely. I need to first investigate and once we conclude our investigations, we’ll be able to address these matters. That’s precisely why we requested the honourable court for custody and the court granted us four days’ custody.”

Also Read: Court extends NCB custody of Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant, Munmun Dhamecha

While Aryan, his friends Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha, have been sent to custody till October 7, the remaining five accused from the total eight, who were arrested by the NCB in the drugs raid case, will also be presented before the court soon.