Acclaimed Actor's Son Arrested, Denied Bail in Drugs Case

By Michael Hein

Acclaimed Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan is under scrutiny after his 23-year-old son Aryan Khan was arrested for alleged drug infractions. Aryan was taken into custody on an extravagant party cruise off the coast of Mumbai, India this weekend according to a report by New Delhi Television News, along with seven other people. Authorities say they seized a huge amount of drugs that indicates intent to sell as well as use.

India's Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) raided a boat on Saturday night where they say they found 13 grams of cocaine, 21 grams of charas, 22 MDMA pills and 5 grams of MD. Aryan seems to be visible in one viral video shot after the raids, but his lawyer insists that he has a strong defense. Meanwhile, his father — best known for Bollywood blockbusters like Chennai Express and Devdas — was seen heading to his lawyer's office shortly before the news of the arrest broke.

Aryan's lawyer, Satish Maneshinde told reporters that Aryan was arrested based only on text messages the authorities obtained. He said: "Aryan had no ticket, no cabin or seat on board the cruise. He was there because he had been invited. He didn't even have a boarding pass. Nothing has been found on him. He was arrested on the basis of chat only."

Still, a viral video seems to show Aryan on the boat shortly before NCB agents arrived. He has been charged with purchase, possession and use of banned substances, and has been denied bail so far. After a brief appearance in court on Sunday, he was put back in the custody of the NCB.

The names of the seven other people arrested on Saturday have been released as well — Munmun Dhamecha, Nupur Sarika, Ismeet Singh, Mohak Jaswal, Vikrant Chhoker, Gomit Chopra and Arbaaz Merchant. The ship was headed on a leisurely trip from Mumbai to Goa, but most of the passengers didn't know that NCB agents were on board disguised as regular travelers.

Once the ship was at sea, the NCB agents reportedly revealed themselves and began conducting their raid, which lasted from about 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time. They searched for drugs in the ship and among the suspects, who allegedly had the contraband dispersed among their luggage and their clothes.

So far, Aryan and his father have not issued a direct public statement, speaking only through their lawyers. There is no word yet on when Aryan is due back in court.

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