Salem may not appear in court due to threat from rival gangs

Underworld don Abu Salem may not appear again before a Delhi court on Friday in connection with an extortion case against him because of security reasons.

Official sources said the security of Salem, who was extradited from Portugal in November 2005, was under constant threat from rival underworld gangs.

Chief metropolitan magistrate Kaveri Baweja here had on April 10 sought the presence of the extradited gangster before the court on April 24 and also directed the Arthur Road Jail authorities in Mumbai to produce him.
    
Salem could not be produced before the court on December 12, 2008 and on January 16, February 24 and April 10 this year on similar grounds.

He is accused of hatching a criminal conspiracy with three others -- CP Rai, Sadiq Ali and Ishtiyaq Ahmed -- to make threatening calls to Rajat Nagrath, the owner of Allied Communication at East of Kailash, to extort Rs one crore from him in 2002.

Two other accused CP Rai and Sadiq Ali were present before the court during the hearing on April 10, while another accused Istiyaq Ahmed had sought exemption from appearance during the proceedings.
    
Delhi Police had charged Salem with stringent MCOCA law but had to withdraw it later after the underworld don's lawyer filed an application in Portuguese Court accusing India of violating the extradition laws. Salem could be tried only for the charges for which he had been extradited from Portugal.