As Ayush Bhatt walked out of the Arthur Road jail on Tuesday, he hoped that it would be the first step towards putting his life back on track.
As Ayush Bhatt walked out of the Arthur Road jail on Tuesday, he hoped that it would be the first step towards putting his life back on track.
Bhatt and three others — Sujit Nair, Rajeev Dharaiya, and Amit Kaushal, who were acquitted by a sessions court on Monday, were released for the first time since their arrest in the Adnan Patrawala murder case four years ago.
Bhatt, who was studying BCom at the time of his arrest, said he plans to meet the Patrawala family to offer his condolences for Adnan’s death, some time soon. “Adnan was a dear friend and his death was a personal loss to me.” Right now, though, his focus will be to spend as much time as possible with his family and friends, who were his pillar of strength in the trying times.
Bhatt, who was flanked by his family after his release, said he wants to complete his graduation as well. “The four years of jail term has been a very bad experience for me and my family. Finally, justice has been delivered to us. I want to start afresh and get rid of the stigma.”
Bhatt’s father, Arun, who was unable to hold back his joy at seeing his son get out of jail said, “Justice has been served to our son. At this moment, we just want to celebrate and enjoy each moment, which was snatched away from us after the arrest.”
Nair, who tried to sneak away on a bike waiting for him outside the prison, told reporters, “I am happy to be out of jail. It was a tough time and it has hopefully ended. This is all I can say,” before zooming away on the bike.
All the four acquitted accused were mobbed by the media, which had turned up in large numbers outside the jail.
Bhatt, Nair, Dharaiya and Kaushal were arrested in August 2007 for allegedly kidnapping and killing 16-year-old Adnan Patrawala, a resident of the upscale Lokhandwala area of Oshiwara. The police claimed that the accused had befriended Adnan through a social networking site and had demanded a ransom of Rs2 crore from his family. But when they learned that the police were on their heels, they reportedly killed and dumped his body at Palm Beach Road in Navi Mumbai.
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