July 19: A ‘lost’ passport came in the way of Monica Bedi’s release by a CBI court in Hyderabad this morning, three days after a Bhopal court cleared her of forgery charges.

Judge Raghuveera Rao refused to accept an affidavit by the actress saying she had lost the document. “I lost the original passport in Dubai in 2004,” Monica said in her plea.

Her family will now have to approach the Supreme Court — which had ordered on May 17 for the passport to be surrendered — with the affidavit and hope that it accepts any other document as guarantee for her stay in India.

Monica’s father Prem Bedi and other family members arrived with her in Hyderabad last night from Bhopal.

Bobby, Monica’s brother, said over phone from their Norway home their father was rushing to Delhi to move court. “In case we fail, Monica will have to complete her sentence.”