Extortion case: Court issues production warrant against Abu Salem

NEW DELHI: Extradited gangster Abu Salem, who is lodged in a jail in Mumbai, was today directed by a Delhi court to appear before it on November 29 in an extortion case for allegedly demanding Rs five crore as protection money from a Delhi-based businessman in 2002.

Additional Sessions Judge Neena Bansal Krishna issued the production warrant after Salem, who was earlier granted bail in the case, could not be produced before the court by the jail authorities.

Salem is presently lodged in jail under judicial custody in Mumbai in connection with cases lodged against him there.

Salem, along with five other accused, is facing trial here for demanding Rs five crore as protection money from businessman Ashok Gupta, a resident of Greater Kailash here.

The other accused facing trial are Chanchal Mehta, Majid Khan, Pawan Kumar Mittal and Mohd Ashraf. One of the accused, Sajjan Kumar Soni, died during the pendency of the case.

According to police, Salem allegedly made threat calls to the businessman in 2002 demanding the money. Police claimed to have recorded some of the telephonic calls.

He was earlier granted bail by the court in the case in which the court is recording statements of witnesses.

Salem, who was extradited from Portugal in November 2005, is facing trial in eight cases in the country including the 1993 Mumbai blasts case.