Police detain R Sharma under NSA

NEW DELHI, November 4: Alleged Dawood frontman Romesh Sharma was detained under the National Security Act NSA today. The orders issued by ...

NEW DELHI, November 4: Alleged Dawood frontman Romesh Sharma was detained under the National Security Act NSA today. The orders issued by Delhi Police Commissioner V N Singh in this regard state that Sharma is a threat to society and national security.

Joint Commissioner of Police southern range Amod Kanth explained: 8220;Sharma will be under detention for a year under NSA, unless the order is changed. We have sufficient reasons to consider Sharma a threat to national security8221;. Meanwhile, Metropolitan Magistrate MM Dharmesh Sharma today remanded alleged Dawood frontman Romesh Sharma to three days in police custody in the Sanjay Sabharwal case. The latter had charged Sharma with taking over his South Delhi house.

Sharma8217;s Counsel I.U.Khan had opposed the police remand arguing that the detention order passed under Section 3 of the NSA states that Romesh Sharma would be detained at the Tihar Jail in New Delhi. Khan said: 8220;In lieu of the strict application of the NSA, the honourable court is not empowered to pass the judgment in favour of police custody8221;.

The MM however passed the order saying there is no specific provision in NSA 1980 8220;debarring8221; the court from considering and entertaining the application.

Sharma was sent to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences AIIMS today under the custody of the south Delhi police, though he was also arrested by the Crime Branch in connection with two fresh cases.

One of these cases pertains to transcripts of mobile phone conversations between Romesh Sharma and another Dawood associate Abu Salem. The transcripts reportedly revealed that Sharma was conspiring to kill gangster Babloo Srivastava, who is currently lodged at Naini Jail in Allahabad.

The Crime Branch of the Delhi Police yesterday registered a case against Sharma in this connection. They have registered another case against him for reportedly trying to extort money from some businessman at Dawood8217;s behest. The total number of cases registered against him have now gone up to 16.

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DCP Crime Karnal Singh said Sharma8217;s mobile phone had been tapped following a tip-off that he regularly conversed with several Dubai-based gangsters.

The recordings have revealed that Sharma had been conspiring with Dawood8217;s aide Abu Salem to kill Babloo Srivastava. Sharma8217;s instructions were to get Srivastava killed inside the jail with the help of some UP-based criminals.

Srivastava is considered to be Dawood8217;s arch rival in the underworld. And Dawood has been gunning for him ever since the killing of Mirza Aslam Beg in Nepal. Beg was a Dawood confidante, and the latter blames Srivastava for the former8217;s murder.

According to Karnal Singh, the transcripts also revealed that Sharma had identified a few top businessmen from whom he could extort money with Abu Salem8217;s assistance.

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Salem obliged by threatening one such businessman, Vinay Singh, proprietor of Lucky Export, with dire consequences if did not pay up to Sharma.

Crime Branch officials added that last night8217;s search at Sharma8217;s Mayfair Garden house yielded several documents relating to his property deals. This was the second time that a search was conducted in this house.

Some of the seized documents reportedly contain details of Sharma8217;modus operandi in forcibly occupying a house. And one of the documents may be sufficient proof to indicate that Sharma had forcibly occupied the Mayfair house just as he had occupied M.K. Subba8217;s Chattarpur farmhouse.