M A I N   N E W S

Daler remains elusive despite raids to nab him
Non-bailable warrants against four others in the case
Tribune News Service

Patiala, November 3
Despite a massive manhunt launched by the Patiala Police since yesterday, Punjabi pop star Daler Mehndi remained elusive even as a local court issued non bailable warrants against four persons alleged to be involved in the human trafficking case alongwith the Mehndi brothers.

The Patiala Police had sent four teams to various places in Delhi and Chandigarh in an attempt to nab the pop star. Senior Superintendent of Police Paramraj Singh Umranangal, while talking to newsmen, said raids had been conducted the farm house of the Daler at Nilothi on the outskirts of Delhi besides at a place in Ghaziabad and also places in Chandigarh, SAS Nagar and Panchkula. He clarified that no team had been sent to Bihar for nabbing the pop star.

The district police had gone in for the raids as it claimed that the pop star was not cooperating in the investigation and that he no longer enjoyed any protection from the law after the expiry of his interim bail on November 1.

Meanwhile, a local court today issued non-bailable warrants against Gurdial Mama, Parveen Rajouri, Rakesh Kaushal, alias Rocky and Bulbul Mehta. The police, in its application to the court, claimed that the custodial interrogation of the four persons was needed in connection with the human trafficking case. The application claimed that Gurdial Mama was the main conduit between people who wanted to go abroad and Shamsher Mehndi.

It also claimed that Parveen Rajouri was the linkman who used to liaison with the various embassies in Delhi to ensure speedy grant of visas of the candidates who wanted to go abroad posing as members of the troupe of the Mehndi brothers. It said Rakesh Kaushal, alias Rocky, was Shamsher’s contact man at Mumbai, adding he used to organised shows abroad. Bulbul Mehta was wanted for his alleged role in buying properties for the Mehndi brothers and he was stated to be a property dealer in Delhi.

Mehndi’s bail extension plea rejected
Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, November 3
The Delhi High Court today dismissed pop star Daler Mehndi’s application for extending his interim anticipatory bail granted by it earlier. The Punjab Government counsel submitted that he had violated the court’s directive to join the investigation and cooperate with the police.

While rejecting the petition, Justice S.K. Agrawal, who had granted him 10 days’ anticipatory bail on October 23 on the condition that he would join the investigation, also took into account the submission of Punjab’s Additional Advocate-General (AAG) Atul Nanda that Mehndi had already filed an application for regular bail before the trial court at Patiala.

The court took exception to Mehndi not reporting at Patiala Sadar police station after October 28 and told his counsel Ramp Phal Bansal that either the pop singer should present himself before the police or his surety of Rs 5 lakh, as directed to be executed along with a bail bond of the same amount, be surrendered.

The AAG told the court that the police had called Mehndi to the police station again on October 31, but he had failed to report to the investigating officers (IO).

The court was not satisfied with the contention of Mehndi’s counsel that he could not report at the police station because he apprehended a threat to his life in the wake of October 27 incidents, when he was “assaulted” in front of the police station.

The police counsel said that adequate security had been provided to Mehndi and it would continue.

The AAG also told the court that Mehndi’s surety had been given by his advocate, Mr Ravinder Kumar, which was against the propriety of the Advocates Act.

“How can counsel be a ‘perokar’ (advocate) and surety at the same time,” he argued.

Despite the court order, the surety had not been presented by the accused when he failed to report to the IOs, Mr Nanda told the court. As Mehndi’s counsel Ravinder Kumar said he was ready to present the surety to the police, Justice Agrawal told the parties to sort out the matter between themselves as per the provisions of the law.