Arbaaz Merchant, Aryan Khan’s friend, said in his statement to the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) that the actor’s son had said that his parents advised him not to take drugs.
Arbaaz is one of the 14 accused to be charge-sheeted by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in the Cordelia cruise drugs bust case. The NCB said it had recovered two grams of narcotics substance from his shoes before he was held boarding the cruise at the International Terminal, Mumbai Port.
Aryan and Arbaaz have been friends for nearly seven years and the former was aware that he (Arbaaz) was an occasional hash consumer. As per the NCB charge sheet, that’s why Aryan asked Arbaaz not to carry any hash to the cruise as the NCB was very active those days, Arbaaz said in his statement, the NCB has claimed.
In his statement to the NCB, Arbaaz confessed that the recovered charas (hash) from him was purchased from one Siddharth Shah alias Harsh who is probably from the Khar-Santacruz area. He said that Shah mostly deals in marijuana and hash and he had purchased hash two to three times for Rs 4,000 per five grams and paid in cash. Azbaaz said he came into contact with Shah through one Krish Rochlani whom he met at a football match. He confessed that after consuming alcohol, sometimes his head got really heavy and smoking hash calmed him, which is why he concealed some in his shoes.
As per Arbaaz’s statement, “Aryan said his parents have advised him not to indulge in any illegal activities, especially drug consumption.” Arbaaz went to board the cruise along with Aryan and two other friends, Manav Chauhan and Pratik Gaba, in Aryan’s car from his residence.
Arbaaz’s statement further revealed that Imitiaz Khatri organised these parties for rich /Bollywood kids and drugs were consumed here. He said that he has been friends with Aryan since 2014 as they both used to play football together when Aryan visited India during summer and Christmas vacations. They played online games such as poker and ‘Call of Duty’ together.
