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‘Aryan Khan started smoking Ganja as student in the US’, statement to NCB

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Aryan Khan, 23, the son of Bollywood mega-star Shah Rukh Khan and producer Gauri Khan, admitted to the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) that he started smoking Ganja (cannabis) in 2018 while studying for graduation in the US.

The ‘voluntary statement’ of Aryan, made under NDPS Act, 1985, Sec 67, before Ashish Ranjan, IO, is part of the final complaint lodged before the Special NDPS Court by the NCB on Friday (May 27), and came to light hours after the superstar-son was exonerated from the case.

He claimed that at that time, he was suffering from certain sleep disorders and he had read articles on the Internet informing Ganja (also known as bhaang, pot, grass, etc) could help.

Unaware of what lay in store for him ahead, Aryan revealed that he was friends with another co-accused Arbaaz Merchant since the past seven-eight years and even the latter smoked Ganja and Hashish.

At Arbaaz’s coaxing, Aryan admitted he occasionally tried smoking Hashish (Charas) but did not relish it much.

Aryan, along with his friends Pratik, Manav and Arbaaz had gone to the Mumbai International Cruise Terminal (ICT) in his Mercedes car around 15.30 (on Oct 2, 2021) to board the Cordelia Cruise, and Arbaaz had promised to bring Hashish for that party.

While crossing the check-in point at the ICT, Aryan said he was intercepted by NCB’s IO Ashish Ranjan Prasad and even introduced to the then Mumbai Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede as a Gazetted Officer, subjected to a personal search after explaining his rights.

During that physical search, no drugs were recovered from Aryan and he gave up his mobile phone when demanded by the NCB.

After checking some messages, the officer asked Aryan whether he knew Arbaaz Merchant, to which he said yes – and with whom he was to share a cabin in the Cordelia Cruise ship.

When the IO asked Aryan whether he deals with narcotic drugs, he replied that he was into consumption of only natural drugs like Ganja or Hashish.

Aryan also revealed that Arbaaz had taken out and handed over a small quantity of Charas to the NCB IO Ashish Ranjan Prasad, and said whatever was recovered (from Arbaaz) was for consumption only and probably procured by him from Bandra, after which the NCB team tested the Charas with some kit and sealed it in a pouch.

Later, the NCB team thoroughly searched all the cabins allotted to Aryan and his friends, and served with a notice to appear immediately before the NCB Mumbai Office to give his voluntary statement.

In the questioning, Aryan confessed to making the ‘incriminating WhatsApp drug chats’ on his mobile phone and signed on the chats transcript.

The conversation with his friend Archit pertaining to a poker game and procurement of Weed from him in return for a Rs 80,000 loan which he (Archit) was unable to repay, through some supplier he knew in Powai and Bandra.

After all this, the stunned Aryan was arrested by NCB Mumbai Superintendent V.V. Singh on October 3, 2021, at 2 p.m. under NDPS Act, 1985, Sec 8A, 22(b), 27 and 35 – triggering one of the biggest news events of the year after the Covid-19 pandemic.

The bewildered Aryan was enlightened on the arrest charges through his Memo of Arrest which he countersigned as a receipt and the information was related to Shah Rukh Khan and his family members.

After completing the medico-legal formalities he was produced before the Sessions Court which remanded him to NCB custody and later in judicial custody, totally spending around 28 nights in the dank cell of Arthur Road Central Jail.

After he was given a ‘clean chit’ by the NCB’s Special Investigation Team on Friday, there is a huge clamour to take action against the ex-NCB Mumbai head Wankhede and his team along with certain Bharatiya Janata Party activists, who allegedly conspired to trap the unsuspecting Aryan and others in the sensational case.

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India condemns misleading content created by Chinese vloggers, deliberate distortion of geographical locations

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New Delhi : India on Tuesday severely condemned attempts being made by the Chinese vloggers to portray impoverished neighbourhoods in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka as New Delhi through misleading content, saying such efforts to peddle false narratives undermine the credibility of those undertaking and backing them. Addressing a bi-weekly press briefing in New Delhi, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal urged the authorities concerned to take action against those involved.

“We have seen media reports in this regard. Such efforts to present a distorted picture of any country are unfortunate. Insofar as efforts to buy foreign elements to portray Dhaka as Delhi are concerned, the peddling of false narratives only undermines the credibility of those who are undertaking such actions and those who are behind them. And we would urge the authorities concerned to take action against such people,” he said.

The remarks came amid reports that over 150 Chinese nationals have been filming and livestreaming from economically disadvantaged neighbourhoods of Dhaka, falsely depicting them as parts of New Delhi.

While recording footage from these locations, they made disparaging comments about India’s living standards, sanitation, food habits, and poverty.

The misleading portrayal has sparked concerns over the deliberate distortion of geographical locations and the possible use of deceptive online content to create negative perceptions about India among international audiences.

The incident underscored the growing threat posed by misinformation and manipulated content on social media, where sensationalised posts can spread widely before their authenticity is established.

The activities have reportedly been taking place in Dhaka’s Tekpara and Uttara areas for several months, with streamers remaining active from early morning until late at night.

One Chinese woman identified as ‘Mianmian’, who claimed to be from China’s Sichuan province, livestreamed from beside a canal in Uttara Sector 12 of Dhaka on November 1. She reportedly presented the area to her online audience as New Delhi and described the residential buildings and surrounding areas as dirty, underdeveloped, and unhygienic.

“This is New Delhi. Their homes are extremely dirty. There isn’t even a fan inside the tin-roofed houses. This place is quite underdeveloped, dirty and unhygienic, and the law-and-order situation is poor,” leading Bangladeshi daily ‘Prothom Alo’ quoted her as saying.

In another instance, a Chinese national was seen live streaming from tea stalls in the Tekpara locality of Dhaka, making the offensive remarks that the tea consumed by locals was made using “cow urine”.

“Look, they are drinking tea. Do you know what kind of tea this is? This is cow urine tea. They drink cow urine tea,” Prothom Alo quoted him as saying.

The footage also contained derogatory comments on the residents’ lifestyles, with repeated references to poor hygiene, lack of sanitation, and substandard living conditions.

These are not isolated incidents, as reports of Chinese content creators recording videos in Dhaka’s underprivileged neighbourhoods have been emerging since May 2026.

The recurring pattern of Chinese content creators repeatedly filming in the same low-income neighbourhoods, along with allegations of geographical misrepresentation and intrusive filming, raises concerns about attempts to undermine India’s image internationally.

These recent developments point to a coordinated anti-India campaign. The issue is not merely the recording of impoverished neighbourhoods, but the calculated misrepresentation of locations in another country as parts of India, coupled with disparaging remarks intended to influence how international audiences perceive Indian society.

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Chinese vloggers misrepresent Dhaka’s impoverished neighbourhoods as New Delhi, make disparaging remarks about India

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Dhaka : Over 150 Chinese nationals have been filming and livestreaming from economically disadvantaged neighbourhoods of Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, falsely depicting them as parts of New Delhi, India, according to several reports. While recording footage from these locations, they made disparaging comments about India’s living standards, sanitation, food habits, and poverty. The misleading portrayal has sparked concerns over the deliberate distortion of geographical locations and the possible use of deceptive online content to create negative perceptions about India among international audiences. The incident underscored the growing threat posed by misinformation and manipulated content on social media, where sensationalised posts can spread widely before their authenticity is established.

The activities have reportedly been taking place in Dhaka’s Tekpara and Uttara areas for several months, with streamers remaining active from early morning until late at night. One Chinese woman identified as ‘Mianmian’, who claimed to be from China’s Sichuan province, livestreamed from beside a canal in Uttara Sector 12 of Dhaka on November 1. She reportedly presented the area to her online audience as New Delhi and described the residential buildings and surrounding areas as dirty, underdeveloped, and unhygienic. “This is New Delhi. Their homes are extremely dirty. There isn’t even a fan inside the tin-roofed houses. This place is quite underdeveloped, dirty and unhygienic, and the law-and-order situation is poor,” leading Bangladeshi daily ‘Prothom Alo’ quoted her as saying. In another instance, a Chinese national was seen live streaming from tea stalls in the Tekpara locality of Dhaka, making the offensive remarks that the tea consumed by locals was made using “cow urine”.

“Look, they are drinking tea. Do you know what kind of tea this is? This is cow urine tea. They drink cow urine tea,” Prothom Alo quoted him as saying. The footage also contained derogatory comments on the residents’ lifestyles, with repeated references to poor hygiene, lack of sanitation, and substandard living conditions. These are not isolated incidents, as reports of Chinese content creators recording videos in Dhaka’s underprivileged neighbourhoods have been emerging since May 2026. The recurring pattern of Chinese content creators repeatedly filming in the same low-income neighbourhoods, along with allegations of geographical misrepresentation and intrusive filming, raises concerns about attempts to undermine India’s image internationally. These recent developments point to a coordinated anti-India campaign. The issue is not merely the recording of impoverished neighbourhoods, but the calculated misrepresentation of locations in another country as parts of India, coupled with disparaging remarks intended to influence how international audiences perceive Indian society.

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Mumbai woman converted to Islam ‘under pretext of marriage’

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Mumbai : A case of alleged religious conversion on the pretext of marriage has come to light in Mumbai, where a 22-year-old woman was allegedly persuaded to convert from Hinduism to Islam after being promised marriage and financial assistance, officials said on Tuesday. The Meghwadi Police have registered an FIR against the accused, identified as Faiz Akbar Khan, under the Maharashtra Freedom of Religion Act, 2026. The incident occurred in the Amina Nagar area of Mumbai’s Jogeshwari East. According to the police, the complaint was filed by the mother of the woman. In her complaint, she alleged that Faiz Akbar Khan befriended her daughter and convinced her to change her religion by assuring her that he would marry her and provide financial support.

The complainant further alleged that the accused had told her daughter, “If you change your religion, I will marry you.” On October 18, the 22-year-old reportedly went missing from her residence, following which a kidnapping complaint was lodged at the Virar Police Station.Two days later, on October 20, the woman allegedly sent her mother a certificate of a court marriage solemnised at the Bandra Court, adding another development to the case. The matter took a further turn on October 24, when the accused allegedly sent a wedding invitation card to the WhatsApp number of the woman’s brother.

The invitation carried the names “Mohammad Faiz weds Shravani (Ayesha)” and mentioned November 6, 2026, as the scheduled date of the wedding. Citing the wedding invitation as evidence, the woman’s mother alleged that her daughter had been subjected to religious conversion under the pretext of marriage. She approached the police with her complaint, following which the Meghwadi Police registered a case against the accused under Section 9(1) of the Maharashtra Freedom of Religion Act, 2026. The police have initiated an investigation to examine the allegations and establish the circumstances surrounding the alleged conversion and marriage. The case has been registered as FIR No. 0587/2026 at the Meghwadi Police Station. Sub-Inspector Indrajit Nemane has been assigned to the investigation and is currently probing the matter.

Further details are awaited.

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