The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Saturday conducted a raid at a party onboard a cruise ship off the coast of Mumbai. According to sources close to ABP News, at least 10 people have been detained , including the son of a Bollywood superstar, by the drug enforcement agency.
Speaking to media, Sameer Wankhede, NCB Zonal Director said, “So far no arrest has been made by us.” “We have intercepted some persons. The probe is underway. Drugs have been recovered. We are investigating 8-10 persons,” Wankhede told the reporters.
Later, ANI cited NCB officials as saying that children of prominent Bollywood actors are being investigated in connection with the raid.
The detainees will be brought back to Mumbai on Sunday.
The two-day voyage in the Arabian Sea was termed as a rare experience. The tickets were sold online, and NCB officials had received information that some of the passengers in the cruise were carrying contraband. After verifying the authenticity of the informer’s background, NCB Mumbai with around 20 officials entered the cruise liner before it had left the shores. The cruise liner carrying around 800 to 1,000 passengers was supposed to return to Mumbai on October 4. Sources said that several celebrities were onboard.
According to sources, the accused could be booked under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and produced before a court on Sunday.
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The detained individuals who are being questioned are likely to be served a notice under section 67 and then the procedure for arrest will be initiated.
Meanwhile, lawyer Anandini Fernandes visited the NCB office. Two youngsters were also released from the office.
It is being said that a Delhi-based company was behind the rave party. Reportedly, the entry fee for the party was Rs 80,000 per person.
This comes days after the NCB arrested Bollywood actor Arjun Rampal’s girlfriend’s brother Agisilaos Demetriades over alleged possession of psychotropic substances. Demetriades, who is a South African national, has been arrested by the NCB thrice in the last two years.
The NCB had launched a probe into the alleged drug use in Bollywood after the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput in June on the basis of WhatsApp chats involving drugs.
(With inputs from agencies)