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Bombay HC: No evidence of conspiracy, common intent against Aryan Khan

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The Bombay High Court has ruled that there was “no prima facie evidence” against Aryan Khan and co-accused Munmun Dhamecha and Arbaaz Merchant for charges pertaining to ‘conspiracy’ and ‘common intent’ in the case lodged against after the cruise ship raids.

Delivering the detailed 14-page order, Justice Nitin Sambre said that considering the material brought on record by the NCB, the court has not found that prima facie, there was no positive evidence against the accused trio.

It may be recalled that Khan, Dhamecha and Merchant were granted conditional bail by the high court on October 28 vide a speaking order and the detailed order was made available only today.

Justice Sambre further said that the NCB claim on the common intention to commit an offence under the NDPS Act, (accused) found to be in possession of commercial quantity of drugs and hatching conspiracy is “liable to be rejected”.

The court said that merely because the accused trio was travelling on the cruise cannot be grounds to invoke the offence under Section 29 (criminal conspiracy) against them.

“This court is required to be sensitive to the fact that there has to be presence of basic material in the form of evidence so as to substantiate the case of conspiracy against the applicants (accused),” Justice Sambre noted.

He further said that no drugs were found on Khan, while the quantity recovered from Dhamecha and Merchant were ‘small’ under the NDPS Act

Under such circumstances, in order to invoke the offence of conspiracy against the accused, there has to be positive evidence about an agreement to do an unlawful act, or to do lawful act by unlawful means, and such agreement must precede with meeting of minds, but there is no such material in this case, said the court.

Even the WhatsApp chats of Aryan Khan, or all the three accused had nothing objectionable or suggesting a conspiracy with the other accused in a meeting of minds to hatch a conspiracy and commit offences under the NDPS Act.

Justice Sambre said that the probe till date suggested that the accused trio were travelling independently and there was no ‘meeting of minds’ on the issue, as contended by the NCB.

Accordingly, since there was no offence of conspiracy, the rigours of NDPS Act Section 37 on grant of bail would not apply here, the court said, granting bail to Khan, Dhamecha and Merchant last month.

Crime

Red Fort blast case: Delhi court to hear NIA chargesheet on June 4

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New Delhi, May 14: A Delhi court is scheduled to hear on June 4 the National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) voluminous chargesheet filed in connection with the deadly Red Fort blast case that claimed 11 lives and left several others injured.

The chargesheet, running into around 7,500 pages, was filed earlier on Thursday by the anti-terror agency before the Patiala House Court against 10 accused under various provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Explosive Substances Act, Arms Act, and Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.

The high-intensity Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED) explosion had taken place near the Red Fort area on November 10, 2025, triggering a nationwide security alert and causing extensive damage to surrounding property.

According to the NIA, all the accused named in the prosecution complaint were allegedly associated with Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGuH), an outfit considered an offshoot of Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS).

Among those named in the chargesheet is the alleged mastermind, Dr Umer Un Nabi, a Pulwama-based former Assistant Professor of Medicine at Al-Falah University in Haryana’s Faridabad, who was killed in the blast. The agency has proposed the abatement of charges against him.

The other accused arrayed in the chargesheet include Aamir Rashid Mir, Jasir Bilal Wani, Dr Muzamil Shakeel, Dr Adeel Ahmed Rather, Dr Shaheen Saeed, Mufti Irfan Ahmad Wagay, Soyab, Dr Bilal Naseer Malla and Yasir Ahmad Dar.

The anti-terror agency said its investigation was spread across Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and the Delhi-NCR region, and included examination of 588 witnesses, over 395 documentary records and more than 200 seized exhibits and material objects.

Earlier in March, the Patiala House Court had granted the NIA an additional 45 days to complete its probe in the case after the probe agency submitted that crucial new leads had emerged and a large volume of digital evidence was under examination.

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Crime

Mumbai Crime: DRI Arrests 2 Passengers For Allegedly Smuggling Diamonds Worth ₹5.70 Crore To Bangkok At CSMIA

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Mumbai: The officers of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) arrested two persons for allegedly attempting to smuggle diamonds worth Rs 5.70 crore to Bangkok.

Those arrested have been identified as Tamil Nadu residents Imthiyas Mohamed Marsuk (28) and Saibu Alikhan Sheik (31).

According to DRI sources, specific intelligence was received that two passengers, Imthiyas Mohamed Marsuk and Saibu Alikhan Sheik, flying from Mumbai to Bangkok on Monday, would attempt to smuggle a huge quantity of diamonds out of India. They were intercepted near the departure gate.

They informed the officials that they had concealed some packages in their body. During the X-ray of the passengers, some images were seen which confirmed the concealment of some egg-shaped items in their body. After that, the passengers were asked to remove the packages from their body, which they obliged and removed one by one from their rectum.

Total four egg-shaped capsules were recovered from the passengers and, on further questioning by the officers, both passengers stated that the packages contained precious stones and diamonds.

They further informed that no declaration had been made to Customs regarding the said stones purported to be diamonds and that they were not carrying any valid documents relating to their purchase, possession, and export permission.

The said capsules were carefully cut, and 20 transparent pouches with different markings containing transparent glass-like stones purported to be diamonds were found in the said 20 pouches.

“Both the passengers claimed that the said diamonds were handed over by one unknown person in Mumbai (at the behest of the mastermind) for transportation to Bangkok in lieu of Rs 15,000 each. They admitted to being part of the same smuggling syndicate as carriers,” said a DRI source.

“In the ongoing investigation, more pieces of evidence are being gathered, and the same need to be investigated. Other key members of the syndicate are yet to be apprehended, and all-out efforts are being made in this regard. Further, sources for the purchase of the diamonds are yet to be investigated. The ongoing investigation is crucial to dismantling this international smuggling network and we are gathering additional evidence to identify and apprehend other key members of the syndicate, which could have far-reaching implications for international security and economic stability,” the officer added.

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Crime

Powai Police Arrest 2 In Karjat Fake Resort Booking Scam; Merchant Navy Officer Duped Of ₹12,000

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Mumbai: The Powai police have arrested two men from Pimpri-Chinchwad and Beed district for their alleged involvement in a fake hotel and resort booking scam in which a 53-year-old Powai resident was cheated of Rs 12,000 while attempting to book a resort in Karjat in January.

The police said that the accused were identified as Kunal Gaikwad (21), a college dropout from Pimpri-Chinchwad, and Datta Kedar (23), a graduate from Beed.

According to police, the duo provided their bank account and SIM card to the cyber fraud racket, which used them to carry out the scam. Gaikwad was arrested on May 5, while Kedar was arrested on March 25.

Police said the complainant, who works in the Merchant Navy, came across a fake website of Urivergate Resort while searching online for accommodation.

After contacting the number listed on the website, he was asked to pay an advance of Rs 12,000 for booking two rooms. The accused allegedly sent a Google Pay QR code through WhatsApp, and the amount was transferred to an account linked to “Kunal Confectionery.”

Investigators tracked the QR code, SIM details and bank account to trace the accused. Police said two more persons involved in the racket are absconding. Both arrested accused are in judicial custody after their bail pleas were rejected.

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