NEW DELHI: The Delhi police would soon move a city court here seeking a production warrant to secure the custody of underworld don Abu Salem for interrogation in connection with three cases of extortion and one of a criminal conspiracy registered against him in the Capital.

While Salem is presently in the custody of the Anti-Terrorist Squad of the Mumbai police, it is learnt that the Delhi police would move the court for the production warrant against him in connection with an extortion case reported in July 2002, in which he had allegedly demanded Rs. 1 crore from Rajat Nagrath, owner of Allied Communications at East of Kailash in South Delhi.

After a two-month-long probe, the Special Cell had then arrested three persons, Ishtaq, Sadiq and Chandu Prakash, for their involvement in that case. During interrogation, they had purportedly disclosed that they targeted businessmen at the instance of Salem, who was then suspected to be operating from Dubai.

In April 2002, Salem had made another extortion call to Ashok Gupta, a Greater Kailash-based businessman, demanding Rs. 5 crores as protection money. He gave three numbers including one that of a satellite phone to contact him. In connection with that case, Salem's five accomplices were arrested and later booked under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act.

The third case is also that of extortion, while the fourth pertains to a conspiracy hatched to eliminate another underworld figure Babloo Srivastava, who is presently lodged in a Uttar Pradesh jail.

Speaking at the annual police conference on January 6, Police Commissioner K.K. Paul had expressed hope that they would be able to bring Salem as soon as possible to file investigations in all the four cases, two of which is being handled by the Crime Branch and the rest by the Special Cell.

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