After nine days in police detention in Dubai on the charge of possessing drugs, actor Vijay Raaz, known for his roles in national award winning film Raghu Romeo and Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding, was released on Tuesday night.
Film producer Feroz Nadiadwala, for whose film's shooting Raaz had gone to Dubai on February 13, said the actor was freed at around 2000 hours local time (2130 hrs IST) and would reach Mumbai on Wednesday morning.
Nadiadwala said he was not aware if the charge against Raaz had been withdrawn.
Relatives of Raaz had approached the Indian embassy in the United Arab Emirates to help secure his release. The embassy officials gained consular access to the actor on Monday.
Raaz had told the officials that he was innocent and did not know how the drugs came into his hand baggage. He had also appealed to the UAE authorities to sympathetically consider his case.
If convicted, Raaz could have faced up to eight years of imprisonment under tough UAE laws against drug possession.
