NEW DELHI: A local court on Tuesday remanded underworld don Abu Salem, who was brought from Mumbai's Arthur Road Jail to the capital on Monday, to seven days' police custody for interrogation in connection with extortion cases registered against him here.

Salem was produced before Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Seema Maini at Tis Hazari around noon. Counsel for prosecution, Additional Solicitor-General Vikas Singh, requested the court to remand Salem to seven days' custody of the Delhi police.

However, Salem's counsel argued that his client was extradited only for the Mumbai blasts case and that the cases registered against him in Delhi were not mentioned by the Ministry concerned, in its appeal for his extradition. Therefore, his client should be sent to judicial custody. He further argued that granting police custody would be against the conventions of extradition.

But the Additional Solicitor-General contended that there was nothing in the extradition treaty barring Salem from being interrogated in any case other than the Mumbai blasts.

After considering the arguments from both sides, the CMM allowed the Delhi police' plea.

The court also allowed the police to record a sample of Salem's voice. This was necessary as the Special Cell of the Delhi police had allegedly tapped conversations of the accused threatening his victims over the phone.

The defence also appealed before the court that their lawyers be allowed to meet Salem for a "legal interview" every day while he was in police custody. However, the prosecution objected to it saying it could hamper investigations.

Subsequently, the court allowed Salem's lawyers to meet him in police custody on May 24 and May 26 for a "legal interview" lasting 30 minutes in the evening.

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