Never seen Monica Bedi in Bhopal locality: Witness

A witness on Thursday informed a court hearing Bollywood starlet Monica Bedi's fake passport case that he had never seen her and her alleged companion, underworld don Abu Salem, in the locality, the address of which was mentioned to procure passports.

Naseem, a resident of Gandhi Nagar area, claimed before Judge D K Dangi that he had never seen Bedi and underworld don Abu Salem in the locality.

With Naseem testifying before the judge, three out of the 32 witnesses in the case have got their statements recorded, Public Prosecutor R K Motwani told reporters after the day's hearing.

The judge also rejected an application by Monica's new counsel P C Bedi seeking more time to study the case, he said, adding that the court will record statements of other witnesses on Friday.

Monica, against whom charges of fraud, forgery and offences under the Indian Passport Act were framed by the court, was booked along with Salem, Sameera, Abdul Jameel alias Siraj and Abdul Kabeer Baba in the fake passport case in 2001.

The residential addresses of Siraj and Kabeer were mentioned in the allegedly forged supporting documents presented to procure passports for Bedi, Salem and Sameera under the assumed names of Sameena Baig, Danish Baig and Faujia Usmani, respectively.

Bedi, who was brought to Bhopal from a Hyderabad jail on October 13, was extradited along with Salem -- a key accused in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts -- from Portugal.

She has already been sentenced to five years rigorous imprisonment in a passport forgery case in Hyderabad.