Aryan Khan, son of Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan asked the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officials if he was being unfairly labeled as an “international drug trafficker” despite there having been no illegal drugs found in his possession.
The 24-year-old was arrested by the NCB during an alleged drug sting operation aboard a cruise ship just off the coast of Mumbai in October last year. He spent several weeks in jail at the behest of the NCB who let him off on bail after several weeks of deliberations.
A string of accusations was leveled against him, from possession of illegal drugs to ties to international drug cartels, but he was cleared in May 2022 when the NCB cited a lack of evidence as to the reason for his dismissal.
Despite several bail attempts, Aryan sat behind bars for 28 days without any drugs being found on him. There was no evidence supporting the theory that he may be involved in a greater scheme of things – such as drug trafficking.
Now, according to India Today, NCB’s deputy director-general (operations) Sanjay Singh, who led the probe, has opened up about conversations he had with Aryan. He recalled Aryan raising some “soul-searching queries.”
Sanjay quoted him as saying, “Sir, you have painted me as an international drug trafficker, that I finance drug trafficking — aren’t these charges absurd? They did not find any drugs on my person that day and yet they arrested me. Sir, you have done me great wrong and ruined my reputation. Why did I have to spend so many weeks in jail — did I really deserve it?”
‘Big criminals or monsters’
Several fans of Shah Rukh Khan and leading opposition parties in India had cited political motives behind Aryan’s arrest, as per The Indian Express. The government has now announced recommended action against former NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede for his “shoddy investigation” of the case.
In the India Today report, Singh also claims to have conversed with Shah Rukh. “We have been painted as some kind of big criminals or monsters who are out to destroy society and we find going to work tough every day,” Singh quoted the Bollywood King as saying.
After spending months under the radar, the actor has now resumed work and will be seen in three films – Pathaan, Jawan, and Dunki – next year, each of which was announced back-to-back over the last few weeks.
Meanwhile, Aryan is reportedly in the process of penning down some content for streaming platforms, while his sister Suhana Khan will make her acting debut in the upcoming Netflix film The Archies.
By the way, did you know that Indian actor Juhi Chawla signed an INR Rs100,000 surety bond for Aryan’s release?
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