Photo: PTI
Mumbai, Oct 30: Aryan Khan, son of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, walked out of the Arthur Road prison, after spending 22 days in the central Mumbai facility following his arrest during a drug raid on a cruise ship off the Mumbai coast.
The 23-year-old, arrested on October 3 by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), walked out of the prison, his home' since October 8, at 11 am and got into a waiting car, which reached his actual home Mannat in suburban Bandra shortly after 11.30 am.
Half an hour before Aryan came out, his father's bodyguard got down from a white Range Rover car waiting outside the prison and stood near the facility's gate. He was seen speaking to policemen posted there.
Around 11 am, the car started moving slowly near the prison's gate and stopped to receive Aryan. The Range Rover was part of the convoy which left Mannat shortly after 8 am and reached a spot in near the prison around 9 am, where it halted to avoid a traffic jam in the area, an official said.
A large crowd of Shah Rukh Khan's fans had gathered outside the prison since early morning. A sizeable media contingent was also present to cover Aryan's release from the jail.
Outside the prison, fans and onlookers cheering for Shah Rukh Khan and Aryan and trying to catch a glimpse of the superstar were in for a disappointment as they could not see the actor's face and had to assume that he was in the vehicle.
Mumbai police, as a precautionary measure to control the crowd, had increased police presence outside the prison, the official said.
Besides local police, SRPF team was also present and barricades were put up outside the Arthur Road prison, he said.
The prison officials collected Aryan's release order from the bail letter box, which was opened at 5.30 am on Saturday.
Speaking outside the prison entrance, jail superintendent Nitin Waychal had earlier said Aryan would be released between 10 am to 12 noon as other prisoners would also be released along with the 23-year-old.
The more release orders, the more time it takes to complete the formalities, he had said.
Speaking to media persons outside the prison, father of Arbaz Merchant, arrested along with Aryan and lodged at the same jail, said his son will be released in evening.
Aryan came out of the prison a day after a special court issued his release memo.
He was granted bail by the Bombay High Court on Thursday. Shah Rukh Khan's actor-friend Juhi Chawla stood as surety for the 23-year-old before the special court, designated to hear cases related to the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS).
The HC on Friday afternoon made available its operative order in which it imposed 14 bail conditions on Aryan Khan and his co-accused in the case, Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha, who were also granted bail, stipulating their release on a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh each with one or two sureties of the same amount.
The relief to the trio came just a day before the HC was scheduled to take a two-week break for Diwali.
In the five-page order, signed by Justice N W Sambre, the high court said the trio will have to surrender their passports before the NDPS court and shall not leave India without taking permission from the special court.
Also, they will have to attend the NCB office each Friday between 11 am and 2 pm to mark their presence, the HC said.
The judge will give a detailed bail order with reasons next week.
Aryan Khan, Merchant and Dhamecha were arrested by the NCB on October 3 and booked under relevant sections of the NDPS Act for possession, consumption, sale/purchase of banned drugs and conspiracy and abetment.
Their arrest came a day after the NCB raided the cruise ship and claimed to have seized banned drugs. So far, 20 people have been arrested in the case and two of them were granted bail by the special NDPS court earlier this week.
