JOIN US Baroda Special Judicial Magistrate J K Prajapati on Friday remanded Kannada actor Maria Susairaj in police custody till October 13.
The actor was arrested on Thursday for allegedly duping hundreds of Haj pilgrims to the tune of Rs 2.68 crore in Vadodara.
“Our contention before the court was that she is not alone in the conspiracy. She was in touch with the others while she was in jail on murder charges in the past. Even now she is in touch with the remaining two co-conspirators and she could help us nab them,” a senior police officer in the crime branch said.
“We will now interrogate her and get more details, including the whereabouts of the others, and whether this is restricted only to duping of this particular travel agency or also others,” he said.
For his part, Susairaj’s defence lawyer Sailesh Patel told Deccan Herald that his client was innocent and had nothing to do with the entire episode. “Even according to the complainant, they had entered into a financial transaction with Paromita Chakraborty. Maria has nothing to do with this firm. She has neither taken any money nor has any money been transferred to any of her bank accounts,” Patel said.
Patel claimed the complainant had not even mentioned her name at the initial stage and preliminary investigations too had revealed she was not involved.
He said he would furnish further evidence before the court when Susairaj is next produced on October 13.
“We will oppose if the police seek further extension of her custody,” he said.