Mumbai Drug Bust: NCB SIT chargesheet faces delay
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has sought for 90 more days from the Mumbai Sessions Court to file their chargesheet in the Aryan Khan drug bust case. They were supposed to file the same by April 2. Earlier this month, reports had surfaced that suggested that the SIT found no evidence against Khan, but SIT chief rubbished those.
Why does this story matter?
The case can be traced back to the central agency's raid at a rave party on Cordelia Cruises's Empress ship on October 2. NCB found many people in possession of drugs and detained them. Khan, who was invited on the Mumbai-Goa ship, was detained even though no drug was found on him. Following a long-drawn legal battle, he was granted bail on October 28.
Is Khan really innocent?
While talking to media earlier, the SIT chief Sanjay Singh said that it is too early to comment on Khan's innocence. "Highly premature to say that there's no evidence against Aryan Khan. Probe still in progress; recorded multiple statements. Have not reached any conclusion yet," he had said. It seems that things will get clarity only after the chargesheet is filed and made public.
What are the reported findings?
The report that had said about SIT NCB not finding proof against Khan claimed that the investigation revealed he was "never in possession of drugs hence there was no need to check his chats." Moreover, the chats don't suggest that he was a part of any international syndicate, so NCB Mumbai Unit's charge of Khan being part of any big conspiracy doesn't hold true.
What were the findings in past?
Notably, Sameer Wankhede, who was leading the drug bust case, faced a lot of flak throughout the course. The officer was also accused of being part of an extortion racket. In November last year, the agency set up an SIT to look into the case while the Mumbai Police investigated the extortion charges. By the end of December, police found no evidence of extortion.
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