Sunday, December 11 2005 20:17 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Mumbai: Extradited gangster Abu Salem is suffering from insomnia (sleeplessness) and memory loss and had received treatment for this when he was in Portugal, his lawyer said.

"For the past four-five days he is complaining of insomnia and memory loss," his lawyer Ashok Sarogi told sources.

This was an old problem and when Salem was in Portugal, he had received a month-long treatment for this, the lawyer said.

Sarogi also said that prison doctors have examined him in this regard and he is receiving medication.

When asked whether this bout of insomnia and memory-loss have anything to do with his stay in police custody and alleged torture during the interrogation, Sarogi replied in the negative.

"But we haven't gone deep into it, we will see when we meet him next," he said.

Salem had a meeting with his lawyers and his brother yesterday at the Bhoiwada lock-up here where he is in the custody of Anti-Terrorist Squad of Mumbai Police.

To another question, Sarogi said that Salem is not applying for bail as "police officers were putting pressure on him not to file it".

Earlier there were reports that his lawyers were planning to move bail application in the sessions court.

Salem will be in the custody of ATS until December 17 in connection with the 1995 case of murder of a Mumbai-based businessman, Pradip Jain.