Officers of the Narcotics Control Bureau’s Mumbai unit raided the Cordelia cruise liner on its way from Mumbai to Goa on 2 October 2021 and detained about ten people at the International Cruise Terminal and on board the vessel.[1] The next day the agency arrested Aryan Khan, son of actor Shah Rukh Khan, along with Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha, and a court remanded Khan to one day of NCB custody.[2][1] He was booked under sections 8(c), 20, 35 and 27 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, with section 20 covering cannabis.[2]
A mixed seizure with a cannabis component
The search recovered 21 grams of charas, alongside cocaine, mephedrone, MDMA pills and cash that fall outside this tracker’s cannabis scope.[2] Khan’s lawyer told the court that no drugs were found in his possession and that there was no allegation of consumption against him.[2] In total twenty people were arrested in connection with the cruise case.[1]
Bail, then a clean chit
The Bombay High Court granted bail to Khan, Merchant and Dhamecha on 28 October 2021, and a special investigation team from the NCB’s Delhi headquarters later took over the probe.[1] In May 2022 the agency filed its chargesheet and gave Khan and five others a clean chit, saying there was insufficient evidence against them.[1]
