MUMBAI: Zahira Sheikh surrendered late Friday evening in the special court in Mazgaon here, which conducted the retrial in the Best Bakery case.

The burka-clad woman, who was accompanied by younger brother Nasibullah and another relative, was later bundled into a police van.

Special public prosecutor Manjula Rao said Zahira made an application before additional sessions judge Abhay Thipsay, demanding that she be kept in court custody. She did not want to be sent to Gujarat. "The court ordered the Maharashtra police to keep her in custody. She will be produced in the special court on Monday and will be kept in safe custody at an undisclosed place till then," Ms. Rao said.

Zahira surrendered pursuant to Wednesday's order of the Supreme Court, which sentenced her to one-year in jail and a fine of Rs. 50,000 for contempt of court. The sentence came after the submission of a report by the court's Registrar-General, who was asked to probe whether Zahira was coerced, induced or pressured to depose in a particular way. The committee held that she was a self-condemned liar and susceptible to influence by others.Even in the final verdict in the Best Bakery case on February 24, Mr. Thipsay ordered that notices be served on Zahira and her family for submitting false evidence.

Speculation on whereabouts

Speculation was rife about Zahira's whereabouts after the verdict as she was untraceable. A team of Gujarat police was on her trail in Mumbai and Thane.

However, mediapersons interviewed her family at Bhayander here a few days ago.

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