Officials of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) visited the residence of actor Shah Rukh Khan, known as Mannat, in Mumbai in connection with a drugs case. While the purpose of the visit is unclear, reports suggested that the NCB officials may have visited the residence to check some documents related to the case of seizure of drugs on board a cruise ship off the city’s coast. The team left the residence about 20 minutes later.
The move came hours after the Bollywood superstar on Thursday, October 21, met his son Aryan Khan at the Arthur Road jail in Mumbai, where the latter has been lodged following his arrest on October 3. Searches were also reportedly conducted on actor Ananya Pandey’s residence. She was also issued summons for further questioning.
The Bombay High Court, on Thursday, posted the hearing of the bail application of Aryan Khan to October 26, after the matter came up before Justice NW Sambre with Khan's lawyer Satish Maneshinde seeking urgent hearing on Friday or Monday.
On October 21, Shah Rukh Khan met his son for about 15 to 20 minutes, a prison official said, adding that there was glass fencing between them and they spoke on the intercom. Four guards were present along with them during their conversation, he said. The actor was allowed to meet his son, as per the prison manual, like any other family member of a prisoner and no special treatment was given to him, the official said.
A large number of mediapersons and local residents had gathered outside the prison when the actor arrived. Heavy police security was also deployed outside the jail premises. Till now, family members of the prisoners were not being allowed to visit the jail in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. The prison authorities started allowing the family members of prisoners to visit them from Thursday morning, the official said.
Aryan Khan (23) was arrested with a few others on October 3 after the NCB raided a cruise ship off the Mumbai coast and claimed to have seized drugs, including marijuana. A special court in Mumbai on Wednesday, October 20, denied bail to Aryan Khan, observing that 'on the face of it,' he was indulging in "illicit drug activities on a regular basis." His WhatsApp chats also showed, prima facie, that he was in touch with drug peddlers, the court noted. Aryan Khan subsequently moved the Bombay High Court to challenge the lower court's order. The HC on Thursday said it would hear his bail plea on October 26.
With PTI inputs