By IANS,
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court Monday extended till this month-end the interim bail of alleged drug kingpin Sharafat Sheikh thus allowing him to remain out of Tihar Jail till June 30
The division bench of Justice S. Muralidhar and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw allowed Sheikh to remain out of jail for 17 more days. He was already on interim bail since April 20.
The bench accepted his plea as Sheikh’s mother was to undergo a surgery in April, but it was not held due to some complications in her health. Sheikh requested for extension of interim bail as the surgery is to take place by this month-end.
“The accused Sheikh can stay with his mother till June 30. However, he will have to surrender himself by July 1,” said the bench.
Sheikh was arrested in 2005, from his house in Nizamuddin, which is named Bihar Bhawan. An Italian pistol and 500 gm of heroin were seized from him. He is owner of dance bars in Mumbai and has several properties in Delhi. He was booked under the National Security Act (NSA) in 2004, but managed to get bail from the high court.
Later, Delhi police invoked the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against him.
Police say Sheikh is behind 90 percent of the drug trade in Delhi. Before his arrest, he also emerged as one of the biggest diamond merchants in Delhi.
Earlier, Delhi Police claimed that he has managed to carve out a Rs.100 crore empire since he came to Delhi from Bihar in 1985.
Sheikh is also said to be the head of several gangs of juveniles who are into picking-pockets and other petty crimes. He himself started as a burglar and later took to drug trafficking. Now his friends include Bollywood stars to whom he apparently supplies jewellery. An actor is said to have recently bought an old Pajero car from Sheikh.
Sheikh calls his mansion in West Nizamuddin as Bihar Bhawan. He has a huge building in Mumbai which he has also named Bihar Bhawan. This is located at Kotwal Park, near Ghazi Masjid, in Malad (West).
The spurt in his income had resulted in Sheikh purchasing another bar in Black Hut, Andheri. He owns two more bars in Mumbai. He owns another showroom opposite Maharaja building on S.V. Road, Mumbai, according to police.
He also owns a house in Punjabi Bagh and two automobile showrooms in Uttam Nagar. He is said to be the owner of another hotel in Uttam Nagar.