Fazal-ur-Rehman sent to 12 day police custody

New Delhi, Aug 17 (UNI) A local court today remanded notorious gangster Fazal-ur-Rehman, one of the most wanted criminals on the CBI and Interpol lists, to police custody till August 28.

Metropolitan Magistrate A K Susodia sent Rehman, arrested on Indo-Nepal border on August 6, to 12-day police custody.

Rehman is an accused in over two dozen cases of kidnapping and extortion in different states.

The arrest was made by a team of three Special Cell officials of Delhi police from Sonouli on the Indo-Nepal border.

He was then sent to police custody for ten days.

The gangster, who also goes by the alias Fazlu, accepted during questioning that he had issued threats to Surat-based 'Praful Sarees' chief Pankaj Agarwal on behalf of Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty's father Surender.

He was also involved in the kidnapping of Gautam Adani of the Adani Group of Industries from Ahmedabad in 1997 (at the instance of underworld don Bablu Srivastava and of businessman Sanjay Agarwal of 'Pan Parag' brand two years later, police said.

Fazlu's associates were arrested by Gujarat police when they tried to kidnap Mr Karsan Bhai Patel of Nirma Industries Ltd four years ago.

The gangster had been ''hiding'' in Dubai and Malaysia for the last many years. The arrest followed information that he was using the Nepal border to slip into India and visit his home at Deora Bhandoli in Darbhanga district of Bihar.

The CBI had him on its ''most wanted'' list of criminals because of the number of cases registered against him in different states.

Red Corner notices have been issued against him by the Interpol in a number of these cases.

UNI XC/NR YA PC1931