Sunday, September 18 2005 19:54 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Mumbai: The investigations into the alleged plot to eliminate filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar, was severely hampered due to non-cooperation by main suspect Bollywood actor Preeti Jain, particularly after she was made to undergo scientific tests, including lie-detection test, at Bangalore, police said here today (Sept 18, 2005).

Although Preeti had been in custody of the police for nearly two weeks now, the investigations have not moved much further mainly because of her hostility towards the investigators, they added.

"We are now waiting for the reports of the scientific tests to arrive. Only then can we get leads about the entire case," a senior police official said.

Preeti, who was arrested on charges of hatching a plot to kill Bhandarkar, with the help of gangster turned politician, Arun Gawli's one time aide, Naresh Pardesi, was made to undergo the polygraph (lie detector) and brain mapping tests at Forensic Science Laboratory at Bangalore last week.

"We have just three days left before she is produced in court again, and we are desperate to get atleast the preliminary reports of the tests, so that we can resume her interrogation", police officials said.

Preeti will be produced in court on September 21 to hear the bail plea made by her.

Some key leads like -- how much money Preeti allegedly paid to Pardesi, or if Pardesi had hired somebody to kill Bhandarkar -- were to be probed, and only Jain and Pardesi could reveal information about them, police said.

Pardesi, however, police said, was cooperating in the probe.