Thaindian News

New Delhi, Nov 26 (IANS) Underworld don Abu Salem was brought before a Delhi court Wednesday for allegedly making an extortion call to a city businessman. He was taken back to Mumbai, where he is lodged in jail, as he had to be present there for other cases. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Kaveri Baweja at the Tis Hazari Courts allowed Salem’s plea to return to Mumbai after the gangster gave a written undertaking that he would appear in the court here Dec 12, the next date of hearing.

Salem was also given a copy of the chargesheet that he had demanded. The chargesheet was filed by Delhi Police a few months back.

Salem was presented to the court on a warrant issued against him in a case of alleged extortion call he made to a south Delhi-based businessman.

Besides Salem, two other accused - Shadaq Ali and Chandraprakash - were brought before the court for the same case. But the police could not bring another accused, Ishtiaq Ahmed, so the court issued a warrant against him for Dec 12.

When sporting a black shirt and blue jeans, Salem stepped out of the court, reporters asked him about Monica Bedi. “Monica Bedi is my wife,” he said, claiming they were married.

Earlier, Monica Bedi in her interviews had said that although she knew Salem for several years they had not been married.

The security at the court complex and the New Delhi Railway station was beefed up following Salem’s arrival.

The gangster, who has been lodged in Mumbai’s Arthur Road Jail after his extradition from Portugal in 2005, had allegedly demanded Rs.10 million from Rajat Nagrath, owner of Allied Communications in East of Kailash, six years ago.

Salem is facing trial in eight cases in the country. Earlier, the court issued three warrants against him but a Mumbai court had stayed these over his lawyer’s plea on security grounds.