Monica: Bail blow

Hyderabad, Dec. 12: Extradited don Abu Salem’s companion Monica Bedi sat for a handwriting test today at a court here.

Dressed in blue jeans and a black top, Monica, accused in a passport forgery case, came to the court several hours late from the all-women Chanchalguda prison.

Earlier, CBI-designated judge P.V. Subramanyam dismissed her bail petition after the public prosecutor pointed out that Monica had given Norway as her permanent address. He argued that if given bail, Monica might try to go to Norway.

The judge extended Monica’s judicial custody till December 19. She will be housed in the same cell at Chanchalguda jail.

The CBI officials who needed her specimen signature to take their passport forgery case forward had to wait till evening.

Justice Subramanyam asked Monica to take a seat for the writing exercise, but she refused. When the judge asked her to write Sana Ramil Kamal ? the name given in her passport ? Monica said she had not signed for any passport application. “Perhaps, my agent signed,” she said.

However, she wrote “Sana” six times on a blank sheet of paper. Then the judge asked her to write a sentence five times. Monica wrote ? “Sana was a good girl. She served in a school which was in Santa Marina. Santa Marina is a beautiful city and I want to visit new place like this.”

The don’s companion, who was once a Bollywood actor, seemed to be in a good mood despite the bail blow. A crowd had gathered outside the court and some college girls even tried to get her autograph. As the policewomen escorting her shooed them away, Monica smiled and blew kisses at them.

Monica, who was brought from Mumbai a month ago after being extradited from Portugal with Salem, is getting a taste of stardom behind bars as well. Her admirers have been sending her flowers, fruits and Hyderabadi biryani besides mineral water bottles. “We are accepting only fruits and food packets and some mosquito coils and clean bed sheets,” said a prison source.

Salem aides held

Mumbai police today arrested two aides of Salem in connection with builder Pradeep Jain’s murder after the don tipped them off during interrogation, police commissioner A.N. Roy said.

Naeem Khan was held by the anti-terrorist squad of Mumbai police after he arrived from Dubai while Riaz Siddiqui was picked up from Millat Nagar in north-west Mumbai.

Roy said Naeem and Riaz had a major hand in the plot to murder Jain in 1995.

According to police sources, both acted as conduits between Salem and the businessmen from whom the gangster would extort money.