New Delhi, Nov 17: Bobby Bedi, brother of little known Bollywood actress Monica Bedi, has appeared before a Portugal court in support of underworld don Abu Salem's contention that he had entered that country while he was running away from mafia adversaries in India. Bobby Bedi told the court that her sister was married to Salem and had to forge a passport under different name to run away from the Indian mafia which was after Salem's life, CBI sources said here.
During the court trial last month, one of the main accused in the 1993 serial Bombay blasts case, Abu Salem had told the court that he had entered Portugal on fake documents while he was running away from the mafia.
Salem was being tried in Portugal on two counts: entering the country with forged documents and obstructing the government servants from performing their duty.
Abu Salem was part of the gang of recently declared international terrorist by the US, Dawood Ibrahim, till mid 90s' and part of the team that conspired and executed the gruesome Bombay blasts in which 257 people were killed and property worth Rs 30 crore was damaged.
The Portuguese government has dropped one of the three charges against Salem, of marrying a local girl to get a resident permit.
Bureau Report