Abu Salem to appear before Delhi court

Underworld don Abu Salem will appear before a Delhi court today, in connection with a number of extortion cases.

New Delhi, May 22 : Underworld don Abu Salem will appear before a Delhi court today, in connection with a number of extortion cases.

Delhi Police had sought his custody to interrogate him in two cases of extortion and a case of assault, as mentioned in the extradition agreement with Portugal.

One of the cases dates back to July 2002 in which Salem has been accused of demanding Rs.10 million as 'protection money' from Rajat Nagrath, the owner of Allied Communication in East of Kailash, South Delhi.

The other pertains to his alleged role in an extortion call to Ashok Gupta, a businessman residing at Greater Kailash-I in South Delhi, in which Rs.50 million was demanded from him as protection money in April 2002.

The third one pertains to a conspiracy to eliminate rival don Babloo Shrivastava.

Salem had failed to appear before a Delhi court in April, after which Chief Metropolitan Magistrate at the Tis Hazari courts issued a warrant against him, directing the Superintendent of the Arthur Jail in Mumbai, where he is currently lodged, to produce him before the court on May 22 or before it.

The court had issued warrants against three other accused in the same case, Ishtiyaq, Sabiq and C P Rai. They are presently lodged in Bhopal jail.

Salem was arrested after his extradition from Portugal in November 2005 for his alleged involvement in the 1993 Mumbai blast case and several other cases.

ANI