Chargesheet given to Daler, move to confiscate his passport

Patiala, October 30 (UNI) Singer Daler Mehndi today appeared before a local court in an immigration fraud case and was supplied the copies of challan while the complainant sought consfiscation of his passport.

Daler appeared in the court today after a plea by the Punjab Police to discharge him was rejected. The court supplied him with the copies of challan filed in the case in which his brother Shamsher and one Bulbal Mehta are co-accused.

Meanwhile, the counsel for complainant Gurpreet Singh today filed an application in the court pleading Daler's passport should be deposited in the court. He argued that he might flee the country to avoid criminal preceedings against him.

The court has fixed November 13 for consideration of the application.

Bulbal Mehta's passport has already been confiscated by the court.

Talking to reporters outside the court, Mehndi said the case against him was false and motivated. He alleged there was political conspiracy behind it though he did not name anyone.

''I am innocent and will come out clean,'' he said.

The Punjab Police had earlier this year moved two petitions before the court saying Mehndi was not required in the case saying he was not involved with the immigration fraud.

However, the court rejected the petition and on August 30 had sent fresh summons to Mehndi asking him to appear before it on October 11 in the case.

Mehndi had been arrested by the Patiala Police in October 2003 along with his brother Shamsher after one Bakshish Singh filed a complaint that he was duped of a huge sum of money by Mehndi brothers, who had promised to take him abroad as part of their musical group and to leave him in some western country to settle there.

Earlier, Patiala Police had registered a case under Sections 406, 420, 465, 466, 468, 471, 471-A and 120-B of the IPC and the Indian Passport Act under FIR number 498 on September 19, 2003 at the Sadar police station here on a complaint of Bakhshish Singh of Balbehra.

UNI XC JN AK BS1533