Aryan Khan arrest: A look at 12 Bollywood stars under the scanner over links with drug nexus

With Aryan Khan’s arrest sending shockwaves through Bollywood following a drug bust aboard a cruise ship by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in Mumbai, the focus has once again shifted on the film industry and its links with an active drug nexus. Shah Rukh Khan’s son maybe the latest celebrity name to find himself in the spotlight but he isn’t alone. Several famous names before him have either been arrested or questioned over their links with a rampant nexus. Here’s a look:

Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone was summoned by the NCB on September 25 last year following the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, which triggered an investigation into the film industry and the drug nexus that has been linked to many of the top brass in Bollywood. Padukone’s name emerged when a series of WhatsApp conversations allegedly exchanged between the actress and her manager Karishma Prakash mentioned procuring hash. However, Padukone was sent home post the questioning and seemingly given a clean chit.

Fardeen Khan, who made his film debut with 1998’s ‘Prem Aggan’, was arrested in 2001 for buying cocaine from a peddler. He was finally granted conditional immunity from prosecution more than a decade later. Khan, who last appeared in a film in 2010, is staging his big Bollywood comeback with the help of casting director and filmmaker Mukesh Chhabra.

Sanjay Dutt has openly admitted in the past that he was a drug addict, with his story even chronicled in the actor’s biopic ‘Sanju’. According to the actor, he had started experimenting with substances while in college. Referring to that phase in his life as his “nine years of hell”, Dutt kicked the habit after going through rehab in the US and has been clean for more than four decades now.

On August 29, the NCB arrested Bollywood actor Armaan Kohli following a raid at his Juhu residence. As per NCB’s Zonal Director (Mumbai), Sameer Wankhedethe, drugs were recovered during the raid at the actor’s residence in Mumbai at the time. “After the raid, actor Armaan Kohli gave ambiguous answers to questions put up by NCB. He was then taken to custody for questioning at the NCB office,” he said. His bail pleas were denied on two occasions following his arrest.

Son of late actress Smita Patil and Raj Babbar, Prateik Babbar made a promising debut back in 2008 in the movie ‘Dhobi Ghaat’. Then he fell victim to substance abuse. He blamed the habit on his struggles in Bollywood. He opened up about drug addiction in an interview, saying his guilt was too much to bear in 2018. Babbar, who also went through rehab in Mumbai followed by extensive counselling, said talking about it “lifted a huge burden off my chest”.

Earlier this year, actor Ajaz Khan was arrested in connection with a drugs case. The NCB had conducted a raid in April at the residence of the TV actor in Mumbai’s Lokhandwala and seized drugs. He was arrested for the same after eight hours of interrogation. “4.5 grams of Alprozol tablets were recovered by chance during his house search but he has been mainly arrested for his association with the Batata Gang,” NCB officials had said at the time. The actor has starred in Bollywood movies such as ‘Rakta Charitra’ and ‘Allah Ke Banday’ and acted in several television daily soaps including ‘Rahe Tera Aashirwaad’ and ‘Kahaani Hamaaray Mahaabhaarat Ki’.

In November last year, the NCB arrested comedian Bharti Singh and her husband Haarsh Limbachiyaa after it seized drugs from their house in Mumbai. The NCB had searched the couple’s office and house and recovered 86.5 gram of cannabis from both the places, according to reports. A Mumbai Court granted them bail of Rs15,000 (Dh744) each a few days later.

That same month the NCB raided the premises of Bollywood actor Arjun Rampal in connection with drugs-related cases the agency had registered in recent months following the death of Sushant Singh Rajput. Rampal was in news headlines once again last month when his girlfriend Gabriella Demetriades’ brother Agisilaos Demetriades was arrested a second time with his connection to drugs. Following the news frenzy, Rampal issued a statement distancing himself from the arrest and the drugs.

Last month, Indian actor Rana Daggubati appeared before India’s Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering probe linked to a 2017 drug case. The ‘Baahubali’ actor was reportedly questioned about his bank details and financial transactions as part of the probe into suspected links of some celebrities with the accused involved in the case.

Daggubati was the fifth Tollywood or Telugu film personality to appear before ED last month. Director Puri Jagannadh and actors Charmee Kaur, Rakul Preet Singh (pictured) and Nandu were also questioned since August 31. The ED had last month issued notices to 10 persons connected to Tollywood and two others including a private club manager as part of a money laundering probe linked to the case related to the smuggling of ‘Class A’ narcotic substances. Actors Ravi Teja, Navdeep. Mumaith Khan, Tanish and Ravi Teja’s driver Srinivas have also been summoned by the ED in connection the drugs racket, which was busted with the arrest of drug peddlers in 2017. Singh was also questioned by the NCB, Mumbai, last year in an alleged drugs nexus in Bollywood following the death of Rajput.

The Rajput investigation also led to the arrest of his girlfriend, actress Rhea Chakraborty in a drug case linked to the actor’s death; Rajput was found hanging in his Mumbai home on June 14 last year. Chakraborty was accused of procuring drugs for Rajput. The NCB reportedly called her as an “active member of a drug syndicate”. She was granted bail later.

In 2019, filmmaker Karan Johar was accused of hosting a drug party for a few A-list Bollywood stars at his home that included the likes of Deepika Padukone, Ranbir Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor, Malaika Arora and Vicky Kaushal. After stories circulated on social media, Johar finally spoke about the incident to Rajeev Masand. “I toyed with the idea of giving out a statement. I toyed with giving out a thought on the social media about something,” Johar said. “There were achieving members of the industry who were having an easy night out after a hard week of work, having a good time. I took that video with all the earnestness... would I be putting out that video if there was anything happening at all, I am not stupid.” Johar was later also called in for questioning by the NCB in the investigations that followed Rajput’s death.