Mumbai, Apr 7 : Bollywood superstar Salman Khan received a rousing welcome from his fans today as he arrived at his residence here from Jodhpur, where he was granted bail bya court in the 1998 black buck poaching case.
Earlier in the day, the actor walked out of the Jodhpur Cenral Jail after a sessions court granted him bail in the two-decades-old case, in which he has been sentenced to a five-year prison term.
Delirious fans burst fire crackers and danced to the chants of “Swag Se Karenge Salman Ka Swagat” as the 52-year-old actor reached his residence in the Galaxy Apartments in suburban Bandra at around 8.10 pm from the Mumbai airport.
After spending two nights in the jail, the actor took a private jet from Jodhpur at around 5.50 pm and landed in Mumbai at about 7.10 pm.
Fans danced amidst chants of “Welcome Bhai” and “Salman, Salman” as he made his way into his residence.
Soon after he reached his first-floor flat, Salman appeared in the balcony with his long-time bodyguard, Shera, and waived at the jubilant fans.
He folded his hands, made a sign of “three” with his fingers and made another gesture to the fans, which meant “go home and sleep now”.
Salman was accompanied by his father Salim Khan, mother Salma Khan and nephew Ahil, whom he held in his arms. The “Dabangg” actor’s former girlfriend and Bollywood actor Katrina Kaif also paid a visit to him at his residence.
During the day, a host of Bollywood celebrities, including Sonakshi Sinha, Saif Ali Khan and Prem Chopra, called on the Khan family.
Such is the fan following of the “Sultan” of Bollywood that many admirers, who had come from far off places, stayed put in Bandra for three days, promising to return to their native places only after catching a glimpse of the superstar.
Farhana Ahmed, a middle-aged woman one of whose ailing family members had once received financial assistance from the Being Human Foundation (set up by the actor), could not hold back her tears of joy when the news about Salman’s release from the jail broke out.
“My old uncle is still alive only because we got timely financial assistance from Being Human. I just cannot express my thanks to Salman Khan,” she said.
Saeed Shaikh, a resident of Ajmer in Rajasthan, who had been camping outside the Galaxy Apartments for the last three days, distributed sweets among the people gathered there.
There were fans who had travelled all the way from Kolkata and stood outside the Galaxy Apartments, wearing “Being Human” clothes to show their love for the actor.
