Rizvi remanded to police custody

By Our Special Correspondent

MUMBAI, DEC. 14. A special court today remanded the film producer, Mr. Nazim Hassan Rizvi, to police custody till December 27 to enable the police to investigate his nexus with the underworld don, Chhota Shakeel, and their conspiracy to attack film personalities.

Mr. Rizvi was arrested here on Wednesday under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crimes Act (MCOCA), 1999. The information report (FIR) and the remand application were submitted to the designated judge, Mr. A.P. Bhangale.

The police said the remand application contained excerpts from a telephone conversation Mr. Rizvi had with the gangster, now living in Pakistan under the ``patronage of the ISI''. They allegedly planned to intimidate and even attack other producers to prevail upon them to delay the release of their films and thereby ensure an open field to Mr. Rizvis's, Chori Chori Chupke Chupke.

The Rs. 15-crore budget film was financed by Shakeel. In view of the gang's high stakes in the film and the Bollywood, the duo had even discussed the need for eliminating stars such as Mr. Ajay Devgan and Mr. Shahrukh Khan and the actor-turned producer, Mr. Rakesh Roshan.

Mr. Roshan was seriously injured in a recent attack. Shakeel wanted to attack him to bring round his highly successful son, Mr. Hrithik Roshan.

Mr. Ajay Devgan and his secretary, Mr. Kumar Mangal, were to be intimidated for delaying the former's, Raju Chacha. The police submitted about a dozen audio cassettes of Mr. Rizvi's conversation with Shakeel.

The judge dismissed the plea of Mr. Rizvi's lawyer that he be allowed to peruse the remand application, but he allowed the accused to have home food and clothes. The court also rejected his plea that he be allowed to meet his client outside the court premises, but permitted him to meet Mr. Rizvi in jail.

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