Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officers made enquiries with Bollywood actress Ananya Panday on Thursday in connection with the agency’s ongoing probe following the raid on a cruise ship on October 2. The agency also conducted searches at Panday’s Bandra residence on the same day, according to an officer.
While the agency refused to divulge details of the searches, it confirmed that Panday had been asked to join the ongoing investigation of the agency.
Panday who was accompanied by her father, actor Chunky Panday, had visited NCB’s office at Ballard Estate around 4pm and she left around 6pm, after the enquiry process was completed.
“Some new information had cropped up following the analysis of electronic material seized from the earlier accused in the case after which we asked Ananya Panday to join the investigation and corroborate the information which we had. We will be examining the mobile phone data of Ananya Panday and she has been asked to join the investigation again on Friday and has been asked to visit the NCB office around 11am,” said the official.
The NCB also clarified that no raid or searches were carried out at the Mannat residence of Shah Rukh Khan.
“Today (October 21), a team of NCB Mumbai Zonal Unit Officials visited Mannat, the residence of Aryan Khan in connection with CR - 94/21 for seeking certain material related to the investigation of the case from Shah Rukh Khan, father of Aryan Khan by following due procedure of notice etc. It wasn’t a raid as erroneously reported in certain sections/channels of media,” read a statement issued by NCB Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede.
A 22-member team headed by Wankhede on October 2 conducted a clandestine mid-sea raid on information that drugs were being used in a party on a cruise liner. During the raid, they arrested Aryan Khan, along with Munmun Dhamecha, Arbaaz Merchantt, Vikrant Chhokar, Mohak Jaiswal, Ishmeet Singh Chadha, Gomit Chopra and Nupur Satija. The NCB had seized 13 grams of cocaine, 21 grams of charas, 22 pills of MDMA, 5 grams of MD and Rs 1.33 lakh in cash during the raid.
The agency has so far arrested 20 persons, including two Nigerian nationals in the said case.
