Mumbai:
During the first IPL match at the D Y Patil stadium in Mumbai, you see a frenzied and energised crowd, involved in a lot of chatter, with a general sense of excitement.
Joining in the excitement was Ravindra Kantrolu alias Raheem, the same man that the Mumbai police had detained for serial killings in the city, nearly three years ago. Kantrolu has been busy painting the faces of fans with poster colours.
Kantrolu narrated his story about how the police used to beat him up regularly and wanted him to confess that "he was the serial killer".
"They used to torture me, and tried to pressurise me into admitting to crimes I was not guilty of. They even asked me to prove my credentials, but I was homeless, and hence I had no documents," Kantrolu said.
Kantrolu can't thank his friends enough for helping him while he was in jail, and says that they repeatedly tried to convince the police that he was innocent, but to no avail. He added: "The police now want me to leave the city as my acquittal has brought them a bad name. They don't want anyone to see me, and hence want me to leave Mumbai. But I am going to stay here and work hard, and make a living."
He now earns nearly Rs 500 a day doing odd jobs, and on good days, up to Rs 1,000.
For now, Kantrolu is charging Rs 10 to paint one side of the face, and he says that the Tricolour is still a huge favourite among cricket fans. He also sells water bottles around the stadium. He plans to continue to hang around all IPL match venues this season.
So you might just happen to bump into him if you happen to watch any of the future IPL matches in Mumbai.