Mumbai:
The killer of audio king Gulshan Kumar, who jumped parole last year, has been traced in Bangladesh and CBI is taking steps to bring him back here, police have informed the Bombay High Court.
"Extradition proceedings against Abdul Rauf Merchant have been initiated by CBI to bring him back to India soon," said Additional Public Prosecutor Mankunwar Deshmukh in a report filed on Wednesday.
Justices P B Majmudar and Rajesh Ketkar asked CBI to file a report in six weeks.
Police told the court that Merchant had been traced in Bangladesh and placed under arrest a fortnight back.
The court was hearing an appeal filed by Merchant against his conviction and also an application by Maharashtra Government against the acquittal of 16 accused, including filmmaker Ramesh Taurani, due to lack of evidence.
Kumar was shot dead outside a temple in suburban Juhu in August 1997. According to police, his rivals had paid money to gangster Abu Salem to eliminate him
However, the trial court convicted only Merchant and acquitted the others. Music director Nadeem was declared as an absconding accused. He was in London when Kumar was killed.
Police had alleged that Nadeem paid the contract money to Salem. The Indian Government lost the extradition case against London-based Nadeem, who did not face trial here.