A well-grown salt and pepper beard, sans haircut and nearly 8 to 10 Kgs thinner, a tearful Raj Kundra steps out of of Arthur Road jail

MUMBAI: It was a dull and gloomy, rainy morning in Mumbai, when at around 11.30 am, a visibly thinner, tearful and frail-looking Raj Kudra, sporting a well-grown salt and pepper beard and minus a haircut, walked out of the Arthur Road jail in Central Mumbai, after being incarcerated there for more than 60 days.

The arrogance and self confidence was gone, depression and a sense of sadness or helplessness writ large on his face and his eyes filled with a sense of humble thankfulness and tears, clutching on to a small plastic bag (which obviously held his personal effects) Raj Kundra was led to a red car, which he entered quietly without saying a word.

It was apparent that he had given away his clothes to the other inmates, a jail tradition that most under-trails follow when they are released, they give away their clothes, footwear, etc., to poor prisoners and those who have helped them in their stay inside the jail.

His hair was unkempt and frizzy and while some under-trial bhais and dons manage to smuggle in a whole lot of cosmetics, enough to fill the shelves of a small salon or beauty palour, Kundra who also owned a beauty and grooming business, was apparently not interested in looking good inside the walls of the Arthur Road Jail, which over the decades has seen prince and pauper and everyone in between pass by.

Raj Kundra was obviously not given (or didn’t seek) the VVIP treatment normally afforded (at a huge cost of course) to gangsters like Abu Salem and Mustafa Dossa or even share broker Ketan Parekh, when they spent years inside.

Abu Salem had taken to weight training – he had a personal trainer – an NDPS under-trial negro who would help him with workouts and weights – and was even gaining muscle mass while he was at the Arthur Road jail.

Besides being his personal jail-gym trainer, the muscular negro also doubled up as his bodyguard (inside the jail) at times.

The late Mustafa Dossa used to get biryanis from some of the best restaurants in Mumbai, not to forget linen and towels which were at par with the best offered in 5-star hotels in the city.

Kundra was arrested on 19 July and after spending about a week in the custody of the Property Cell, Mumbai Crime Branch was shifted to judicial or magistrate custody (MCR), at the Arthur Road jail.