Ananya Panday not appearing, has more time: NCB

Actor Ananya Panday on Monday sought more time from the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) to appear for questioning in connection with the investigation into the Mumbai drugs-on-the-cruise case, an official said. Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan has been arrested by the NCB as part of its investigation in the case.

In her reply to NCB summons, Panday requested for a further date. “Actress Ananya Panday is not well and sought for time,” said deputy director general of the agency Mutha Ashok Jain, adding that the NCB will be issuing another summon to her in next few days.

The NCB had asked the 22-year-old to appear for it on October 25 – for the third round of questioning. She was earlier questioned for four hours on Friday and two hours on Thursday. The summons have been issued to her based on the chats recovered from Aryan Khan’s mobile.

During her questioning on Thursday, the 22-year-old denied the allegations of supplying or consuming drugs. According to the NCB, her name cropped up in WhatsApp chats which was being studied by the agency after the arrest of Aryan Khan and others.

An official told Hindustan Times that Ananya maintained she has never used any narcotics and the chats with Aryan Khan were in a light vein.

On Friday, when she arrived for the second round of questioning, Panday was reprimanded by Mumbai zonal director Sameer Wankhede for arriving late. Pandey was summoned by NCB for questioning in the ongoing cruise drugs case on Friday at 11 am but the actor could only reach the probe agency’s office after 2 pm along with her father Actor Chunky Panday.

News agency ANI reported that Wankhede told Panday that probe agency’s office was not a “production house”.

An NCB team busted an alleged drugs party on the Cordelia Cruise ship which was on its way to Goa at mid-sea on October 2.

Khan, who was first detained on October and then arrested a day later, has applied for bail multiple times but all his petitions have been rejected. He was initially sent to the custody of the NCB for four days, but since then, is under judicial remand.

Khan and others – his friends Arbaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha – are lodged in Mumbai’s Arthur Road jail. So far, the NCB has arrested 20 people.

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