Police get two more weeks to probe Dossa''s complaint

Mumbai, Feb 22 (PTI) The Bombay High Court today gavepolice two weeks'' time to conduct further probe into thecomplaint by gangster Mustafa Dossa against Abu Salem,following an altercation between them at Arthur Road prisonhere last year.

Dossa had approached the High Court alleging that thepolice were biased against him, and while they registered acase against him for assaulting Salem, they refused to accepthis complaint against Salem.

"The police are quiet about Dossa''s complaint ofextortion against Salem. Salem had demanded Rs 15 crore and Rs5 crore from Dossa on two occasions, and when he refused,Salem attacked him," Dossa''s lawyer Rizwan Merchant argued.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone III, Suhas Warkhe,today filed an affidavit before the court stating that thepolice did not take cognisance of Dossa''s complaint; becauseprobe showed that Salem had attacked Dossa in self-defence.

At the last hearing, division bench of Justices A MKhanwilkar and A R Joshi had directed the police to forwardDossa''s complaint to the crime branch, which is investigatingSalem''s complaint.

The crime branch today told the court that it hasrecorded Dossa''s statement and would require two weeks toconduct further probe, and judges granted the request.

On July 24 last year, Dossa had allegedly attackedSalem -- extradited to India in 2005 -- with a sharp spoon.

Salem had sustained injuries on his face and hand.