Salman’s opening night: Odomos

Salman Khan, remanded to three days’ police custody yesterday in the hit and run case, spent the first few hours in a cell with three d...

Salman Khan, remanded to three days’ police custody yesterday in the hit and run case, spent the first few hours in a cell with three drug addicts and two robbers. He spent much of his time in silence without interacting with the rest of the inmates, police added.

On his way to the lock-up, the actor was apparently overheard telling some friends that he knew what life was like in a police cell. The reference was to his detention for hunting blackbucks near Jodhpur in 1997.

Eyewitnesses said he applied a lot of Odomos cream after nightfall to prevent mosquito bites. He later ordered a frugal meal of rice and dal fry from a nearby Irani restaurant.

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The actor, who was handed over to the Santacruz police station after a mandatory health check-up, was later shifted to the Crime Branch cell in south Mumbai for detailed interrogation and greater security.

Khan will not be provided with home-made food as his lawyer is yet to make an application for it. Joint Commissioner (Law and Order) Ahmad Javed said the actor would be accorded the same kind of treatment as any ordinary inmate. The actor, who was handed over to the Santacruz police station after a mandatory health check-up, was later shifted to the Crime Branch cell in south Mumbai for detailed interrogation and greater security.

The actor is now entitled to ‘bhatta’ (meals) worth around Rs 36 per day; this includes a cup of tea in the morning followed by dal and roti for lunch. Dinner would be the same fare. The food is provided by a private canteen located inside the crime branch.

It’s not known whether his friends and army of bodyguards have been able to slip in a few packets of cigarettes. A fresh set of clothes could also help to ease the discomfort of being holed up inside the three-storey building, which has been home to many dreaded gangsters over the years. But the actor could be in more trouble. With the ownership of the killer car in question, as reported this morning, the line of interrogation now switches to the possibility of the underworld being involved in its purchase, a senior police officer said. The actor had told the police that the car belonged to one Abdul Rahim who lived in Kerala. However, the police has failed to trace the owner of the vehicle so far.

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If the vehicle is found to be ‘benami’, it would open up a Pandora’s box. Senior Crime Branch officers hinted that they might launch a fresh probe into his links with the underworld. The Crime Branch is reportedly in possession of several video clippings where the Bollywood actor is seen with notorious gangsters.