Thursday, September 7 2006 11:13 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Panaji: Socialite Bina Ramani, a key witness in model Jessica Lall murder case, was yesterday (Sept 6,2006) arrested in Goa, two days after a Delhi court issued a non-bailable warrant against her in a cheating case.

Ramani was arrested from a road side restaurant in Candolim, about 20km from here, in a joint operation of Special Investigation Team of Delhi Police and Goa Police at around 8 p.m., DIG of Goa Police Ujjwal Mishra told reporters.

"She would be produced before a court here for a transit remand and taken to Delhi today (Sept 6, 2006)," he said.

Mishra said police had first searched her house in Candolim and a few other places before tracing her at a roadside restaurant.

The warrant against Ramani was issued by Delhi's Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Kamini Lau in a case of alleged cheating and forgery for acquiring a licence to run a restaurant in south Delhi where the ramp model was shot dead.

Police alleged Ramani obtained the license misrepresenting that she was the owner of the restaurant named 'Qutub Colonade' on the basis of forged documents and served liquor without having any valid licence.

Lau had issued the NBW, to be executed on or before September 15, on the prosecution's allegation that Ramani has not been joining the investigations and has been evading meeting with the investigating officer despite efforts to contact her.



The court had observed that her custodial interrogation was necessary in view of the nature of the allegations levelled against her.