Salem celebrates 'wedding anniversary' alone in jail

Mumbai, Nov 20 (UNI) Extradited gangster and an accused in the 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blast case, Abu Salem today celebrated his eighth 'wedding' anniversary in the Arthur Road Jail without his 'wife' Bollywood actress Monica Bedi.

According to his lawyer Raja Thakur, who met Salem yesterday, said the latter had informed him about his wedding anniversary, but as Monica was out, he would celebrate it in jail alone.

Salem, who is lodged in an egg-shaped cell of Arthur Road jail, was seen depressed and lonely since morning and was seen reading letters and greeting cards sent to him by Monica Bedi since 2001, said Aslam Machmam, one of the undertrial accused lodged in the jail, who was released on bail this evening.

It may be noted that while Monica has been denying that she had ever tied the nuptial knot with the underworld don, Salem claims that they got married in a mosque in Los Angeles in November 2000.

While speaking to UNI, Advocate Thakur said on the instruction of Salem, ''we had sent two legal notices to Monica last month, following her denial of their 'marriage' and said he was deeply hurt and distressed by her statement''.

She has, however, not yet replied to a single notice nor have we have got any acknowledgement for the same till now, he added.

The one-time starlet has stuck to her position that she was never married to Salem and maintained in several media interviews that though she knew the underworld don for several years, they had never got married.

Interestingly, in the 'Bigg Boss' reality show, Monica was seen getting close with Rahul Mahajan, son of slain BJP leader Pramod Mahajan. After he opted out of the show, Rahul said both of them were ''good friends and nothing more than that''.

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