Monica Bedi's custody extended till April 10

Bhopal, Mar 28: A local court has extended, until April 10, the judicial custody of underworld don Abu Salem's girlfriend and Bollywood starlet Monica Bedi who is one of the accused in a fake passports case.

Yesterday, the prosecution urged Judicial Magistrate Dinesh Kumar Dangi to provide some more time for submitting a 'challan'.

However, Monica is in custody at Hyderabad as she is on trial in Andhra Pradesh as well.

On December 6, 2005, she was interrogated here for the second consecutive day by the city police's crime branch.

Mr Dangi remanded her to two days' police custody on December 5.

Late on December 4, Monica was brought here by a Hyderabad police team.

She was incarcerated at the Mahila Police Station. Owing to security reasons, she could not be brought to the courtroom on December 5 and Mr Dangi conducted a hearing at the police station.

In November 2001, a case was registered in the Koh-i-Fiza Police Station against Salem, his wife Samira Jumani and Monica for having fake passports made at the regional passport office using the names Danish Baig, Rubina Baig and Fauzia Osman respectively.

Salem's local associates Saiyyad Abdul alias Shiraz Abdul and his brother Kabir alias Baba Abu are out on bail.

Salem and Monica were brought to India from Portugal on November 11. She was to be presented in the local court on November 26 but that did not materialise owing to security reasons and lack of train reservation.

UNI