A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has found that there is no evidence that Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan was part of a drugs conspiracy or an international drugs trafficking syndicate, as per a report by Hindustan Times. The report adds that the SIT team has also found several irregularities in the raid on the luxury cruise, during which Aryan was arrested.
Officials have also shared some of the key findings of SIT that are contrary to the allegations of the Mumbai's NCB unit. Some of them are:
Aryan Khan wasn't in possession of drugs, so there was no need to take his phone and check the chats.
Chats don't suggest Aryan was part of an international drug syndicate.
As mandated by the NCB manual, the raid wasn't video-recorded.
Drugs recovered from the multiple accused arrested in the case shown as single recovery.
One of the officers told the publication that the SIT probe is not over and it might take a couple of months for the final report to be submitted to NCB Director General SN Pradhan. Before the final decision, a legal opinion will reportedly be taken on whether Aryan can be charged with consumption even though no drugs were found on him.
The SIT probe has raised questions on the conduct of the agency’s former Mumbai Zonal Unit director Sameer Wankhede. The SIT's review of the Cordelia probe has also revealed that Aryan did not ask his friend Arbaaz Merchant to bring drugs on the cruise; a fact corroborated by the latter during his questioning. Procedural lapses are being looked into by the agency in a separate inquiry.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)