By IANS
New Delhi : Extradited mobster Abu Salem, facing trial for masterminding and funding the March 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, has confessed to his role in trying to extort Rs.60 million from two capital-based businessmen in 2002, Delhi Police said Wednesday.
"Salem has confessed to his role in the extortion cases but we are working out on the details provided by him. We are verifying certain sequences, which he revealed during interrogation," a senior Special Cell official of Delhi police told IANS.
"He (Salem) is cooperating in the investigation process. We can't reveal any other information at this point of time as investigation is still underway," the official added.
Salem, 36, was remanded in seven-day police custody by a city court Tuesday.
Delhi Police needed him for interrogation over his role in trying to extort Rs.10 million via his henchmen from south Delhi businessman Rajat Nagrath in July 2002. Nagrath owns a firm Allied Communications in East of Kailash.
Salem is also involved in a similar case in which he had tried to extort Rs.50 million from another south Delhi businessman Ashok Gupta in April 2002, as "protection fee" to shield him from the threat of other gangsters.
The Special Cell had earlier arrested three people – Ishtaq, Sadiq and Chandu Prakash – in connection with the two cases. The trio had confessed that they had called up the businessmen at the instance of the gangster.
Salem was brought to Delhi from Mumbai Monday evening by the Golden Temple Express.
He was extradited to India Nov 11, 2005, 12 years after he allegedly masterminded the terror blasts in Mumbai. He was brought to India along with his companion Bollywood actress Monica Bedi.
Apart from the Mumbai blasts case, the mobster is also wanted in 54 cases ranging from murder to extortion.