The last thing that Madhu Koda probably wants is to be a free man. That's because he's in hospital, where he can't be arrested on corruption charges. When the former chief minister is discharged, he'll be taken into custody, an eventuality that's closer now that he's been moved out the Intensive Care Unit where he was admitted earlier this week, after complaining of a severe stomach ache.

''We will monitor his condition for 48 hours. The Enforcement Directorate has asked us not to release him without informing them,'' says P D Sinha, the medical superintendent at Apollo Hospital.

Also likely for Koda:  narco-analysis, a lie detector test, or both. Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax officials say they may have to resort to these because Koda is not cooperating with them.

While Koda's been in hospital, the two men who allegedly helped him illegally build an empire worth 4000 crores have gone missing. Binod Sinha and Sanjay Chowdhary have been given a  deadline of November 11  to face investigators willingly, or face legal action.

But as the Enforcement Directorate and the Income Tax Department wait to question them, another puzzle has surfaced: are there much bigger fish involved?

For example, a diary used by Koda, now part of the investigation against him, mentions a Lalu.  Is this a reference to Lalu  Yadav, former chief minister of Bihar?

''If my name is there, let them investigate me, let them conduct an inquiry,'' dares Lalu Yadav.

Among others, a Mumbai-based investment firm has been raided for handling some of Koda's money.  And politicians in the city are also now playing sleuth.

A local BJP leader has  accused the  Mumbai Congress President, Kripashankar Singh, of being involved with Koda's alleged scam. Singh denies this, but ''There are three properties, bought with Koda's money, that we have information on, to which Congress leaders are linked. There are 17 properties connected to this scam," charges the BJP's Kirit Somaiya.