The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Friday gave a clean chit to actor Shah Rukh Khan‘s son, Aryan Khan, and five other people who were accused in a case related to the drug bust on yacht Cordelia in October last year. 

The case gained notoriety moments after the NCB raided the cruise ship on October 2. As the scandal unfolded, several revelations came to light. 

Let us take a look at some key twists and turns in the highly publicized case.

1. Kiran Gosavi, a private investigator and NCB’s key witness in the case, was seen smiling in an image he clicked with Aryan Khan, who was in the government agency’s custody on the night of his arrest. As the saga unfolded, Gosavi ended up getting apprehended in a cheating case.  

2. When the bail hearings took place, the NCB alleged that 24-year-old Khan regularly consumed drugs, as well as “indulged in illicit drug trafficking” and took part in “procuring and distribution of drugs”. The agency also claimed that an international drug cartel was involved in the case. 

3. In a statement to the Bombay High Court, the NCB further alleged that Aryan Khan’s actions were “influenced” by his father’s manager, Pooja Dadlani.

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4. The agency leaked screenshots of a conversation on WhatsApp, claiming that the texts were exchanged between Khan and actor Ananya Panday. The text thread contained a conversation that revolved around drug consumption. Later on, the court slammed the NCB for relying on screenshots to strengthen its case. 

5. Sameer Wankhede, a former NCB official who led the case initially, ended up being surrounded by controversies about lapses and inconsistencies in the investigation. He was then accused of forgery and misconduct, and was later removed from the case. 

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6. As controversies and media attention spiraled, the case was transferred to a Special Investigation Team from Delhi. Sanjay Kumar Singh led the team in November. 

7. Prabhakar Sail, an important witness of the case, claimed that a Rs. 25 crore pay-off was being discussed between the NCB and Khan after the latter was arrested. Sail later died due to a cardiac arrest in April. 

8. After stating that it is “highly premature to say that there’s no evidence against Aryan Khan” in March, the NCB requested an extension of two months to register its charge sheet after passing its deadline.