Verma and his wife remanded to CBI custody till August 21

Businessman Abhishek Verma and his Romanian wife were today remanded in CBI custody till August 21 by a Delhi court in connection with a forgery case lodged against them on Union Sports Minister Ajay Maken's complaint.

The court sent both to the CBI's custody after the agency said they were required for their custodial interrogation for probe into the forgery case.

"Both the accused are remanded to CBI custody till August 21," Special CBI Judge Sanjeev Jain said.

Verma and his wife Anca Maria Neascu were produced before the court after expiry of their judicial custody and the CBI told the court that they need their custody to interrogate them in connection with the forgery case.

Both the accused had been granted bail on August 8 in a corruption case for allegedly receiving money from a Swiss firm to stall its blacklisting proceedings by the Indian government. They were granted bail after the CBI failed to file the charge sheet within stipulated 60 days' period after their arrest on June 8 in the corruption case.

The CBI, however, had arrested them on the same day in the fresh forgery case, registered on Maken's complaint, in the courtroom itself after which both the accused were remanded to judicial custody.

They were granted bail in the case involving the alleged receipt of USD 530,000 from Rheinmetall Air Defence AG (RAD) for using his influence to stall its blacklisting proceedings.

During the day's proceedings, Verma and Anca moved another court to surrender in a money laundering case registered against them by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Gautam Manan, however, put their application for hearing on August 21 keeping in view that they are already in CBI's custody till then.