March 5 | 3:35 p.m.

Officer Andrew Thrasher was told by dispatch of a possible hand-to-hand narcotics transaction involving a subject of interest in a narcotics investigation. 

Thrasher was made aware the subjects who were the recipients of the transaction were still on scene in a vehicle. At that time, Sergeant Chase Barnett and Thrasher responded to the location and made contact with the vehicle. 

Upon contact with the vehicle, the subjects opened the door and marijuana smoke billowed

out of the vehicle. While speaking with the subjects and searching the vehicle, they provided Thrasher information showing where they had requested the suspect, later to be identified as Aryan Ashok Chugani, to sell them marijuana. 

Upon clearing the contact, officers responded to Chugani’s apartment in an attempt to contact him. No contact was made and an officer remained on scene to secure the apartment while Thrasher applied for a search warrant for the apartment. The search warrant was granted by Judge David Boling.

Upon receiving the warrant, Thrasher responded to Collegiate Park and met with Barnett. At that time, they executed the search warrant. Upon entry to the apartment, there was evidence of marijuana usage and packaging materials in plain view.

Further search of the residence yielded a Glock 21 handgun and several items of drug paraphernalia, including scales, packaging and rolling papers in the bedroom.

Also located in the apartment were several large black vacuum seal bags. One of the vacuum seal bags contained approximately 29 grams of a green leafy substance.

Thrasher contacted Patrol Officer Marcus Caskey and told him to go to the welcome desk in the student union, where Chugani was working and take him into custody. Upon taking him into custody, Caskey transported the suspect to the University Police Department, where he was placed in the interview room. 

Thrasher and Barnett gathered the evidence and transported it to the University Police Department for processing. Thrasher conducted an interview with Chugani, who agreed to waive his Miranda Rights and speak to Thrasher without having his lawyer present.

During the interview, Thrasher asked Chugani about the sale of marijuana, to which he acknowledged he was involved in. He said he gets his marijuana to sell from a guy named “Greg,” whom he met through a mutual acquaintance. 

He did not provide any additional information about “Greg.” Chugani said the gun located in his room was left behind by a friend and was not his. Thrasher told Chugani that, if that was the case, he should have called his friend to grab their gun instead of placing it on the nightstand by his bed.

After Thrasher questioned him about the firearm further, the suspect said he needed an attorney. Thrasher concluded the interview and requested a transport unit to take Chugani to the Craighead County Detention Center. 

Officer Robert Kary arrived and transported Chugani to the detention center, where he was booked on the charges of simultaneous possession of drugs and firearms (A class Y felony), possession of a schedule VI controlled substance with the purpose to deliver (A class D felony) and possession of a handgun on school property (A class D felony).

On March 6, Chugani went before Judge Barbara Halsey, where probable cause was established and a $150,000 bond was issued. Chugani bonded out of the Craighead County Detention Center a short while later.

Categories: Campus Crime, News