FOCUS OF ATTENTION: Monica Bedi (with face covered) being brought out of the CBI judge's residence in Hyderabad on Saturday . - PHOTO: P.V. Sivakumar

HYDERABAD: Sleuths of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) here have played a perfect host to former Bollywood starlet Monica Bedi.

Soon after she was flown in from Mumbai on Friday evening, Monica Bedi was kept at the CBI office at Sultan Bazar. The office, which normally does not witness much of activity, suddenly became the hub. When CBI officials offered `dal-chawal' at dinner to Monica, she was believed to have politely declined. She chose to have a spicy biryani instead and her "wish" was fulfilled.Later, the officials provided her with warm clothes and she went to sleep in one of the rooms in the office. "She slept comfortably and was very cooperative," disclosed a police official. The security was tight in and around the office with armed policemen guarding the premises all night.

On Saturday, she was "treated" to some fresh fruit juice followed by lunch. The lunch consisted of palak paneer, hot rotis and biryani. "She behaved very well all through. But this is nothing new for her as she had already spent time in jail in Portugal. The only thing was that she did not want to show her face to the media," said a police official.

Tight security

In the afternoon, when Monica was being taken from the CBI office to the residence of a Magistrate, things did not go off as smoothly for policemen. A battery of mediapersons and cameramen waiting outside the gate was the first hurdle in their way.

Gun-toting policemen surrounded the Maruti van in which Monica was seated. Then started the `battle' with the media. A policeman from the Central Police Lines (CPL) Srinivas went near the gate and tried to clear the mediapersons. In the ensuing commotion, his leg got crushed in the gate by a Tata Sumo, the first vehicle in the convoy.He was taken to Osmania Hospital.

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