Thursday, January 20 2005 11:39 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Mumbai: Referring to the controversy over her bank deposits, the prime witness in the Best Bakery case Zaheera Shaikh, yesterday (Jan 19, 2005) told a Special court that she had herself deposited money in her account at Vadodara, a week before her deposition at a fast track court where she turned hostile on May 17, 2003.

Zaheera said that she, along with her brother Nafitullah, went to a branch of the Bank of Vadodara and deposited Rs 35,000 in her bank account.

She also accepted that she had deposited Rs 10,000 a year earlier on May 27, 2002.

She, however, denied having any knowledge about the money deposited into her account with the Syndicate Bank at suburban Bhayandar branch in the city.

Earlier in the day, she deposited the passbooks of her two accounts as ordered by the court.

The prosecution told the court that Rs 45,000 was deposited in the account of Zaheera at Vadodara before her deposition when she had turned hostile.

The prosecution also told court that cash amounting to Rs 1.9 lakh was deposited in her brother Nasibullah's account with Syndicate Bank at Bhayander.

The prosecution also questioned Zaheera about the cash, totaling Rs 1 lakh, which was paid as rent for the two houses that she (Zaheera) and her family had rented out in Mumbai.