Accused 'faints' in court, police terms it drama

An accused held for kidnapping a man and demanding Rs.6 crore for his release Monday "fainted" in the district court to escape a police remand.

Mohammad Salim, 33, arrested Sunday, staged a "drama" in the court of Judicial Magistrate (1st class) Kavita Yadav.

"Salim 'fainted' in the presence of the judge when police demanded remand for the accused," a senior police officer told IANS.

"The accused was rushed to the civil hospital and reproduced in court after doctors declared him fit. The judge approved two days' police remand for him," the officer said.

Along with his friends, Salim abducted Musaid Ahmad, 42, of Jaipur's Adarsh Nagar from the Gurgaon expressway (near Hans enclave, 36 km from Delhi) at gunpoint when the latter was returning to his Delhi home in his car in the night of May 8.

Salim, who plotted the kidnapping, claimed he had remained Ahmad's business partner.

Ahmad was taken to Aligarh and Rs.6 crore demanded from the family for his safe release.

"We are grilling him (Salim)," the officer added.

A senior Crime Branch officer said criminals were now resorting to the new trend of "fainting" in courts to escape police remand.

Elaborating, he said Pawan and Shiva, members of "Anna Gang" and residents of Delhi's Madangir were arrested for thefts.

The duo along with other gang members, involved in over 30 cases of theft, also unsuccessfully staged "drama" to escape police remand.

"Shiva was produced in court Friday and he also 'fainted' but was reproduced in court with the medical report. The judge, after listening to the police, recommended five-day police remand for him," the Crime Branch officer told IANS.

Similarly, Pawan Kumar, arrested Sunday, tried to cut his throat with a bathroom tile in the Sadar police station lockup Sunday night.

"He (Pawan) was booked under section 309 (suicide attempt) and produced in court. The judge granted two days' police remand for him," he added.