NCB questions Ananya Panday; retrieves chats with Aryan Khan about procuring ganja

Bollywood actor Ananya Panday appeared before the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) after the agency summoned her in connection with the Mumbai cruise drugs case. The NCB had allegedly retrieved her chats from Aryan Khan’s phone during its investigation in the case.

Ananya Panday had apparently agreed to arrange ‘ganja’ for Aryan Khan.

It has been reported that NCB has recovered chat messages of a conversation between Ananya Panday and Aryan Khan in which the two were discussing procuring ganja.

NCB sources have said, “At one point in the conversation between Aryan Khan and Ananya Panday, Aryan was talking to Ananya about ganja. Aryan was asking if there could be some ‘jugaad’ to arrange the weed.”

To this, Ananya Panday had replied, “I will arrange”.

When NCB showed this chat to Ananya Panday on Thursday during the questioning, she replied, “I was just joking.” NCB had received a chat conversation between Aryan Khan and Ananya Panday regarding drugs, after which Ananya was summoned by the NCB.

A team of NCB officials reached Ananya and Chunky Panday’s residence in Mumbai on Thursday and she was summoned for questioning. The probe went on for about 2 hours in the evening. Ananya Panday has been called for questioning again on Friday.

Ananya Panday reached the NCB office for questioning at 4pm and left around 6.20 pm on Thursday. The NCB also seized her laptop and mobile phone.

NCB DDG Ashok Mutha Jain added, “Her residence was raided today, but we cannot disclose what all was seized.”

Meanwhile, Ananya Panday’s father, Chunky Panday, has said the family is seeking legal counsel for Ananya to reply to the NCB summons.

Ananya is the daughter of actor Chunky Panday and has worked in many Hindi films. Ananya Panday made her Bollywood debut in the 2019 film "Student of the Year 2".

"Just because she is being questioned does not mean she's an accused," an NCB officer said.

Ananya Panday and Aryan Khan are part of a group of star children who have been known to socialise together.

The star kids are the latest in the anti-drug agency's crosshairs after many prominent names were questioned or arrested in connection with an alleged "Bollywood-drugs" link that emerged in course of the Sushant Singh Rajput death investigations.