Jodhpur, Jan 16 (IANS) A court here Monday extended till Jan 30 the judicial custody of Congress legislator Malkhan Singh Bishnoi and four others, arrested in the missing nurse Bhanwari Devi case, officials said.

The others whose judicial custody was extended were Bhanwari Devi’s husband Amarchand and three other accused, including Sahiram Bishnoi, Umesharam and Omprakash.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) presented the five men in the court of an additional chief judicial magistrate Monday.

Malkhan Singh, legislator from Luni constituency, was arrested Dec 19 by the CBI after questioning.

Former minister and legislator Mahipal Maderna, who allegedly featured in a CD in a compromising position with the nurse, was also suspended from the primary membership of the Congress over his alleged role in the case. He too was arrested by the CBI Dec 3.

It was alleged that the nurse was blackmailing Maderna on the basis of the CD, due to which he got her eliminated. He allegedly involved Sahiram Bishnoi, a small-time politician from Jodhpur, for the job. The CBI has arrested the three alleged kidnappers Shahabuddin, Sohan Lal Bishnoi and Baldev Jaat, Omprakash Bishnoi, Sahiram Bishnoi, his friend Umesharam Bishnoi, Bhanwari’s husband Amarchand and Malkhan’s brother Parasram Bishnoi in the case.

The CBI is also carrying out raids in search of Malkhan’s sister Indra Bishnoi.

Bhanwari’s husband Amarchand was arrested by the CBI Dec 8 after he failed to give satisfactory answers on his wife’s disappearance Sep 1. Before being arrested, he had accused Maderna of being involved in his wife’s disappearance.

Umesharam and Omprakash are suspected to be members of the Bishnaram Bishnoi gang which was allegedly involved in disposing of the nurse’s body. They allegedly burnt her body to ashes and dumped the remains in a canal near Jaloda village in Jodhpur rural.

The CBI has recovered two guns, a gunny bag, a cricket bat and some bone fragments, a charred mobile phone, a locket, watch and bracelet possibly belonging to Bhanwari Devi.