Rediff

Hyderabad, Sep 29: A Central Bureau of Investigation court in hyderabad on Friday convicted Monica Bedi, girlfriend of underworld don Abu Salem, and three others in a passport forgery case, but acquitted two others.

While Bedi, a former Bollywood actress, and two others -- a retired Assistant Sub-Inspector of Police Abdul Sattar and postman Gokari Saheb -- were awarded five years' imprisonment, another accused Mohammad Yunus was given three years' jail term.

She had secured a passport (No. B 5802508) from the Regional Passport Office, Hyderabad, in the name of Sana Malik Kamal, on September 20, 2001, furnishing false residential address as House Number 10/102 B, Babu Goundar Street, Kurnool, and her year of birth as 1974.

The special court, however, acquitted two others -- Srinivas and Noor Mohammad.

Bedi was extradited from Portugal on November 11 2005, along with Abu Salem, and had been lodged in the state prison for women at Chanchalguda here since then.

The CBI had filed a case against Bedi under section 420 (cheating), 120 B (criminal conspiracy) and section 12 of the Passport Act for procuring a passport on a fictitious name and address from Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh in 2001.