Ramani's police custody extended

New Delhi: Socialite Bina Ramani's police custody has been extended by two days in connection with the Jessica Lall murder case.

Ramani was arrested in Goa last week after a court issued a non-bailable warrant against her in the case of cheating and forgery for acquiring a licence to run the restaurant where Lall was shot dead in April 1999.

Police had alleged that Ramani obtained the license misrepresenting that she was the owner of the restaurant named Tamarind Court on the basis of forged documents and served liquor without having any valid license.

On Saturday, the Special Investigating Team probing the case seized certain documents from Ramani's South Delhi residence as it made progress in her interrogation.

"SIT was constituted to try and track Manu Sharma and not to harass witnesses after this why will some one become a witness?" socialite, Nafisa Ali asked.

Police are also planning to take Ramani to Goa for recovery of some "forged documents" besides interrogating her on the alleged role she played in tampering with the evidence at the scene of crime.

Earlier on Monday, a Delhi Court granted bail to Chandigarh-based Dr J S Bedi accused of giving false medical certificates to Vikas Gill, an accused in the Jessica Lall murder case.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate released Bedi on bail on the condition of furnishing a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh and two sureties of like amount.

Bedi, against whom a non-bailable arrest warrant was issued on August 25, had been absconding and even moved an anticipatory bail application before the Delhi High Court which he withdrew before surrendering.

He has been accused of giving false medical certificates to Gill that he was suffering from spinal problems to facilitate his personal exemption during the trial of the case.

The Delhi Police is scheduled to submit its status report on the Jessica Lall murder case to the Delhi high court on October 9 but experts feel this sudden spurt of arrests in fringe cases like Bedi and Ramani is to avert criticism from the High Court on the lack of progress in the main investigation.

(With PTI inputs)