Virendra Rai's police custody extended till April 4

Mumbai, Mar 28 (UNI) The designated TADA court here today extended till April 4, the police custody of Virendra Rai, nephew of former Union Minister Kalpnath Rai, who has been arrested in connection with the 1992 J J Hospital Shootout case.

TADA court judge D U Mulla has allowed the former Uttar Pradesh police officer to receive home food.

The court, however, kept in abeyance an order on the proseuction's plea for permission to conduct Narco Analysis and Brain Mapping tests on prime accused Brijesh Singh and Rai.

Singh was arrested by the Delhi police on January 23 this year in an extortion case of 2007. He had been declared an absconding accused in the J J Shootout case.

In an inter-gang rivalry, Shailesh Haldankar of the Gawli gang, who was recuperating in the prison ward of the government-run J J Hospital, was shot dead in the hospital on September 12, 1992. An AK-47 rifle was used in the crime.

Haldankar was allegedly involved in the murder of Dawood Ibrahim's brother-in-law Ibrahim Parkar and the shootout was suspected to be an act of revenge.

The TADA court has already convicted three persons in this case -- Subhash Singh Thakur, Surya Rao and Shyamkumar Garikar. Thakur was awarded the death penalty, which was later coverted into a life sentence till death by the Supreme Court. Surya Rao was sentenced to seven years rigorous imprisonment while Garikar was sentenced to 10 years RI.

UNI ST MAZ VD AS1740