New Delhi: A Delhi court today issued fresh production warrant against underworld don Abu Salem after the Mumbai police failed to produce him in connection with a six-year-old extortion case.

Additional Sessions Judge Ravinder Kaur directed the Arthur Road jail authorities in Mumbai-- where the extradited gangster is lodged at present-- to produce him before the court on April 24.

Salem, along with his other associates, is facing criminal proceedings in connection with an extortion call made to a city-based businessman Ashok Gupta in 2002,demanding Rs five crore as protection money.

The Delhi Police, which had also invoked stringent MCOCA charges against him in the supplementary chargesheet, have been forced to re-think after his lawyers approached the Portuguese Supreme Court accusing New Delhi of breaching the international commitment.

In an application, the Delhi government sought dropping of MCOCA charges against the don, who was extradited from Portugal in 2005.

Salem is facing criminal proceedings in three cases of CBI probing Mumbai blasts, passport cases of Lucknow and Hyderabad, three extortion cases and a conspiracy to murder case in Delhi, along with Pradip Jain and Ajit Dewani murder cases in Mumbai.

The Union Home Ministry had last month reprimanded the Delhi and Mumbai Police for slapping additional charges against underworld don as the country was dragged into a legal battle in Portugal for failing to adhere with the international commitment.
Source : PTI