COIMBATORE: The CBI, on Thursday, was granted custody of the senior IPS officer Pramod Kumar, who was arrested for allegedly extorting money from the directors of the fraud Paazee Group of Companies to hush up the case, for five days. The CBI has booked him under seven different sections, including Women’s Harassment Act, IPC 354 (Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and Prevention of Corruption Act.
The CBI, which produced Kumar before the second additional district judge (CBI cases) V Ramasamy here on Thursday, sought his custody to interrogate him in connection with the case and recover the `2.85 crore extorted by him.
While allowing the CBI’s petition, the court permitted Kumar’s counsel to accompany him for five hours from 1 pm to 6 pm every day.
Kumar, who was flown to the city by the CBI from New Delhi, was subjected to medical tests at the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital
before he was produced in the court.
Citing the ECG scan, which pointed to abnormal pulse, Kumar’s counsel wanted the court to allow him undergo a detailed health check up.
Kumar’s counsel also pleaded with the court to keep him in judicial custody at the Chennai Central prison as there was a threat to his life in the Coimbatore jail. “Several persons on whom the petitioner had taken action during his tenure as IGP are in the prison. Hence there is no safety for him,” Sandeep Kumar said. However, both the pleas were not entertained by the court.