After the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) gave a clean chit to six of the 20 persons who had earlier been arrested and later granted bail by the court in the Cordelia Cruise case, agency sources who were previously associated with the NCB's cruise case investigation claimed that their investigation was on the basis of adequate grounds. The sources also claimed that courts had initially denied bail to the accused. Commenting about the alleged evidence they had gathered in the case against the accused, before the agency's SIT took over the probe from them, one of them asked, "If WhatsApp chat is not evidence, then why have several other accused been charge-sheeted in other drug-related cases?"
"Two courts had earlier rejected the bail of the accused and that must have had some grounds. The rejection would have meant that the court had accepted the evidence put forward by the NCB. Secondly, it is the Investigating Officer who makes the arrests. Entire hierarchy is involved in taking the decision, not only one particular officer and there would be some records related to this, then how come the Zonal Director, who is only the Supervisory Authority, is only being blamed for the arrest," asked an official who was previously associated with the probe.
"Thirdly, if WhatsApp chat is not considered as evidence, then how several other accused persons from whom there was no recovery of contraband had been charge-sheeted. Arrests are made on the basis of statements and electronic evidence. If a person gives a confessional statement, which is corroborated with the WhatsApp chats, and later retracts from it, will the IO not arrest the person?" the official said.
When asked ex-NCB Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede about the reports that Government has asked Competent Authority to take appropriate action against him for his shoddy investigation into the Aryan Khan case, he said, "I have no knowledge about the said information and I cannot comment anything on the case as I am not associated with the NCB anymore."
Advocate Satish Maneshinde, Aryan Khan's advocate, had initially argued in the court that his client was invited to the event being held on the cruise by the organisers and that no incriminating material had been recovered from him (Aryan Khan) and that there was no possession or evidence of consumption.
