Four young men believed to belong to well-connected families in India have been arrested in Dubai on drug charges, police sources said yesterday.

Three of the suspects are Indian nationals and the fourth holds a British passport. The police charged three of them with possession and abuse of narcotics. The fourth was additionally charged with drug smuggling. All are still in custody.

The suspects detained are Abu Farhan Abu Asim Azmi, 22, son of Abu Azim Azmi, Samajwadi Party leader in Maharashtra and a Member of Parliament of India's Upper House; Shaan Ranjit Uttam Singh, a 32-year-old British passport holder and grandson of film producer G.P. Sippy; Bonito Dilip Chhabria, also known as Bobby, son of car designer Dilip Chhabria, and 25-year-old P. Dandekar, an Indian who reportedly faces the smuggling charge.

Police sources confirmed the four had been arrested a few days before October 21 at a hotel in Bur Dubai and were in the custody of the Anti-Narcotics Unit before being transferred to Al Rifaa Police Station.

A source at the Al Rifaa Police Station confirmed that the four suspects have been handed over to the station on October 21 to refer them to prosecution.

According to a well-placed source the four were here on a holiday.

The police acted on a tipoff and arrested them from their hotel during a night raid. The source also revealed that two, Abu Farhan Abu Asim Azmi and Prasanth Dandekar, have tested positive for drug abuse.

The police found a quantity of drugs – believed to be cocaine and hashish – in their hotel room, as well as in the rented car used by them and registered in the name of Abu Farhan.

Family members of the four are already in the city, although they remained tightlipped on the situation.

According to sources, Bobby Chhabria has been released from custody. But the report could not independently verified. His father, Dilip Chhabria, is believed to be in Dubai to secure his son's release.

The case was referred to the Public Prosecution on October 22.

They are currently under the custody of the Public Prosecution which has still not officially charged them, pending further investigations.

If found guilty they could face prison terms ranging from one to four years for possessing and abusing narcotics.

The verdict will be at the judge's discretion, and will depend primarily on the type and quantity of narcotics used.

As for the smuggling charge, if the accused is found guilty he could face a long jail term or capital punishment.