'Billionaire' compounder's police custody extended for 7 days

A local court today extended by seven more days the police custody of Mahesh Chandra Sharma, who was apprehended by by Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) sleuths while accepting a bribe of Rs 5 lakh.
ACB court judge O P Gupta rejected the bail pleas of Sharma and his personal aide Rajendra Saini and sent Sharma to further seven days of police custody and Saini to 14 days of judicial custody, official sources said.
Dubbed as the "billionaire" compounder of SMS hospital and a member of Indian Nursing Council (INC), Sharma and his aide Saini, were caught by ACB sleuths while accepting a bribe from Dr R P Saini when they demanded Rs 5 lakh for issuing NOC for a new course and raising seats in Dhanvantri Nursing College on June 30.

Sources said, Sharma, who was awarded President's Award in 2008 for his nursing services, has assets worth Rs 200 crore, was an adviser in the Union Health Ministry and held partnership in 26 nursing colleges of the state.
During searches ACB sleuths have so far seized Rs 17 lakh worth gold ornaments and Rs 15 lakh cash from Sharma's lockers, they said.
Sharma has got 30 plots in six colonies and owned large chunks of agricultural land in parts of the state, they said.
ACB was also interrogating Indian Nursing Council's chairman T Dilip Kumar who was closely working with Sharma.