The Hindu : National : Gustad's remand extended

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jun 11, 2004

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National

Gustad's remand extended

By Our Special Correspondent

MUMBAI, JUNE 10. Film director Kaizad Gustad and his crew members, Ashish Udeshi and Hadley D'Mello, have been remanded to police custody again till June 14 to enable the railway police to complete investigations in the case of British director, Nadia Khan's death near Mahalaxmi station on May 25.

Gustad and Udeshi were arrested on June 2, while D'Mello was arrested on June 5, on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, in connection with Nadia's death. They were shooting for a film called Mumbai Central. A woman police constable, Darshana Vaiti, was also arrested for not reporting the incident, but she was released on personal bond.

The Metropolitan Magistrate, P.T. Rahule, in his order said permission was granted to the film crew and Gustad to shoot a film from May 25 to May 30 along track number one, at Mahalaxmi station, which is rarely used, with specific terms and conditions to take all possible precautions. This permission was obtained only on the morning of May 25.

However, Mr. Rahule said, it was pertinent to note that the railway police were asked to provide security to the film unit only from May 26 onwards. In the absence of police security, the unit members were not supposed to shoot or even dare to go on location on track four and five, which were busy tracks, and where they had no permission to film.

Moreover, after the incident, "an immediate imaginary script was prepared and acted upon by the accused to camouflage the incident and make it a motor vehicle accident." While agreeing to Public Prosecutor, Pradip Rane's request for the extension of police custody, he said police must gather all relevant evidence on record and the investigating officer was directed to seize all material evidence and documents from the film company, called Below The Line productions, and executive producer of the film, Ayesha Shroff.

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