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Rajesh Kalra remanded to 4 days' police custody

Onkar Singh in New Delhi

The Delhi police have sent three teams of investigators to Bangalore, Bombay and Cochin to verify the statements made by Rajesh Kalra and try to recover some documents relating to the latest match-fixing scandal to shake the cricket world. The possibility of a few raids being conducted in these cities is also not ruled out, an officer said.

Kalra was produced before Duty Magistrate Barkha Dutt at the Patiala House court this afternoon. She remanded him to four days in police custody.

The court proceedings were conducted in camera because, as the judge explained, the matter is sensitive. Later, the Delhi police denied having put in a request to conduct the proceedings in camera.

Earlier, when he was being brought to the court, Kalra told waiting reporters that he was not involved in the scandal and had already told the police all that he knew of the involvement of actor Kishen Kumar and businessman Sanjeev aka Sanjay Chawla.

Kalra's advocate S A Hashmi said his client had been framed in the biggest international fraud and was innocent. But Hashmi did not enter the courtroom to argue Kalra's case as the advocates are on strike.

In another dramatic development, the Enforcement Directorate, represented by advocate S S Bansal, moved an application before the duty magistrate and sought two days' remand of Rajesh Kalra because the scandal also involves the alleged payment of monies through the illegal havala channel.

The Enforcement Directorate's application will come up for consideration on April 13 when Kalra is to be produced in court again.

Meanwhile, Kishen Kumar, who is also a director of Super Cassette Industries, the company founded by his late brother Gulshan Kumar, continues to be heavily sedated at the NOIDA hospital where he got himself admitted soon after Kalra was arrested from his residence in Greater Kailash II. Kishen Kumar was with Kalra when the latter was arrested.

He has been given till 1100 IST tomorrow to present himself before the police for interrogation. Notice for this was served on him at the hospital by Assistant Commissioner of Police Rishi Pal and Inspector Surendra Kumar, the new investigating officer in the case. Surendra Kumar replaced Inspector Ishwar Singh because the latter is also the complainant in the case.

Mahesh Sharma, the doctor attending on Kishen Kumar, said he is stable now, but is still in no position to talk to the press or the police. He will check on Kumar again tomorrow morning before deciding whether to let him submit to interrogation.

ALSO SEE:
The Betting Scandal: The full story