Patiala: A local court today (Dec 24, 2003) extended the police remand of Indi-pop singer Daler Mehndi by four days till December 28 in an illegal human trafficking case. Daler was produced in the court of senior civil division judge P S Dhanoa, who accepted the police plea for extension of remand. During extended remand period the singer is expected to be taken to Mumbai and Delhi for recovery of some documents.

Daler's brother Shamsher Singh, also an accused in the case, was produced in a court at Pehowa in Kurukshetra district in a related cheque bouncing case.

A Pehowa resident Shyam Sunder lodged a complaint with Haryana police that he paid Rs three lakh to Shamsher who assured to take his son abroad in Daler's troupe.

He alleged that a cheque of Rs 50,000 issued by Shamsher, after Sunder threatened to inform the police, bounced.

The court yesterday fixed January 3, 2004 as the next date of hearing.

Daler was arrested by Delhi Police in the national capital last week following which Patiala police secured his custody and produced him before a court in Patiala on Sunday (Dec 21, 2003) which remanded him to police custody till today.

The singer was also sent to judicial custody till January four in another case against him for allegedly threatening a computer operator of police department.

The case of fraud and cheating against Daler, Shamsher and three others was registered on the complaint of one Bakshish Singh, who alleged that he was not taken abroad despite having paid Rs 13 lakh of the Rs 15 lakh sought by the accused for the purpose.