Video Editor: Mohd Irshad Alam
Camera: Shiv Kumar Maurya
An NCB (Narcotics Control Bureau) team 'busted' an alleged drugs party on the Cordelia Cruise ship, mid-sea on 2 October. Eight persons including Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Seth Merchantt, Munmun Dhamecha, Vikrant Chhoker, Ishmeet Singh, Nupur Sarika, Gomit Chopra and Mohak Jaswal were arrested.
But right after videos of a BJP worker and a private detective escorting the accused after the raid surfaced, NCB came under the scanner. Why were 'outsiders' allowed to escort the accused after the raid, take selfies with them? We ask the NCB ten big questions.
Right after the high-profile arrests, NCB claimed to have busted a big drug racket. Soon the accused were sent for a trial, then to NCB custody and finally to were remanded to judicial custody.
Right around this time, a selfie and videos of two men with the accused, not connected with the NCB, surfaced. They were later identified as Kiran Gosavi, a private detective, and Manish Bhanushali, a BJP worker.
Why Was a Private Detective Allowed to Take a Selfie with Aryan Khan?
A video of Gosavi escorting Aryan Khan to the NCB office surfaced. Why was a man, not associated with the NCB, allowed to join the team on a raid, or to escort an accused to the NCB office? And why was he allowed to take a selfie with the accused?
After initially denying Gosavi's connection with the NCB, the Bureau claimed that he was a 'primary witness' in the case.
Dear NCB, even if Gosavi is a key witness in this the case, is any witness allowed to escort the accused and take selfies with them? And why was his real identity not revealed initially?
Why Was a BJP Worker Allowed to Escort the Accused?
Manish Bhanushali, who claims to be a BJP worker and has shared photos of him with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, was caught on camera escorting Arbaaz Merchantt to the NCB office after the raid. After the video went viral, NCB claimed Bhanushali, too, was a 'witness' in the case.
Dear NCB, why was a political party worker involved in a drug raid on a cruise ship? Why was a BJP worker allowed to escort an accused to the NCB office? Are Gosavi and Bhanushali mere eyewitnesses in the case or is there more than what meets the eye? Is there any merit to the BJP-NCB nexus theory that's doing the rounds?
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)