The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Sunday issued a clarification after a selfie of an alleged officer with Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan went viral. The 23-year-old was arrested by the NCB in an alleged drugs case.
As soon as the picture went viral on Saturday, social media users slammed the NCB, some of them asking the bureau to investigate into the matter.
“The official (apparently) taking a selfie with Aryan Khan reminds me, when SRK was detained in 1994 for threatening a journalist who’d written a sleazy piece about him and Deepa Sahi, the cops ended up taking his autographs,” a Twitter user said.
Also read: NCB scan of Aryan Khan’s phone reveals past drug use: Report
“If this is the attention Aryan Enjoys without achieving anything can imagine what will happen if SRK comes to the NCB office, won’t be surprised if entire NCB prostrates in front of SRK,” another one tweeted.
However, the NCB said that the person taking the selfie is not an officer or employee.
“Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) categorically clarifies that the man in this picture with Aryan Khan is not an officer or employee of NCB,” news agency ANI reported NCB’s statement.
Aryan has been booked under various sections of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) for possession and consumption of banned substances.
He and seven others were detained late Saturday night by NCB sleuths after they raided the cruise ship on its way from Mumbai to Goa.
Besides Aryan, Arbaz Seth Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha have also been arrested in connection with the raid and will be produced before a court, news agency ANI quoted NCB sources as saying.
Aryan Khan would be produced before a metropolitan magistrate’s court shortly, as per PTI reports. Advocate Satish Maneshinde would be representing Aryan Khan in court.
In connection to the picture, a former cop Jalja Sitaram, as per Afternoon Voice said , “Drug peddlers should be handled with an iron hand. But in this case, no drug dealers or suppliers are nabbed but some celebrity kids were thrown in front of the media. Aryan Khan’s name went viral just because he is Sharukh Khan’s son and was one of the eight people being questioned by the Narcotics Control Bureau. Meanwhile, the investigating officer clicking the picture with celebrity kid and making it viral is shameful.”
“When a raid is conducted at a place, many people are taken into custody. We assume that a particular boy must have consumed it (drugs). The process is on. Let’s give that child a breather. Let real reports come out,” actor Sunil Shetty said.
The cruise company in question, Cordelia Cruises, distanced itself from the case. President and CEO of the Waterways Leisure Tourism Pvt Ltd Jurgen Bailom said that it had chartered its ship for a private event to a Delhi-based event management company.
“By means of this statement, I wish to express that Cordelia Cruises is in no way, directly or indirectly, connected to this incident,” Bailom said, adding that the company will extend full will cooperate with authorities in the probe.
“Cordelia Cruises is extremely mindful of providing wholesome entertainment to families who choose to travel with us. This incident is contrarian and far from the culture that Cordelia Cruises represents,” the statement added.
