Thursday, February 24 2005 16:43 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Pune: Gutka baron Jagdish Joshi, who arrived from UAE yesterday (Feb 23, 2005), today (Feb 24, 2005) surrendered his passport to the Crime Investigation Department in Pune.

Joshi arrived in Delhi yesterday and would produce himself before the Bombay High Court, which will be hearing his petition challenging the Non-Bailable Warrants issued against him, his advocate Vijay Kakade told sources in Pune.

A person representing the gutka baron surrendered his (Joshi's) passport at the CID office at Pashan today, Kakade said.

Kakade said that Joshi, who has informed CID about his arrival in India, was present in Delhi and would reach Mumbai around 2000 hrs (IST).

Asked why he surrendered his passport to the CID in Pune, Kakade said it was because before leaving for abroad, Joshi's passport was with the CID.

Sometime back when Joshi was booked in a case of murder at Panchgani, he was directed by the court to deposit his passport with the CID when he applied for bail, which he did, Kakade said.

As his passport had been released by the CID, (Pune) before going abroad, he has deposited it back with the investigation department, as per the court's order, which heard his bail plea in the Panchgani murder case, Kakade said.

He said that the CBI would only begin recording his statement in the case linking him with the underworld from February 28 onwards.