Actress’ lawyer got call records of actor after their public spat?

THANE: The Thane crime branch probing the

illegal procurement of phone call records

by arrested

celebrity lawyer Rizwan Siddiqui

for actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui suspect that he may have sourced records in similar fashion for a Bollywood actress too. The actress, the police said, was engaged in a high-profile spat with another popular face from the film industry last year which led to allegations being traded publicly by both sides.

Call detail records, or CDRs as they are called, may be of help to the actress to establish her case against the one-time colleague on the sets, a police officer said.

At the time of Siddiqui’s arrest on Friday for allegedly sourcing CDRs of Nawazuddin’s wife from a private detective, police had seized two laptops and three mobile phones along with CCTV footage from his office.

Police will soon look into their contents. “If the lawyer has sourced CDRs of other celebrities or any other person, he could be in serious trouble,” the officer said.

However, Thane police commissioner Param Bir Singh told TOI that Nawazuddin had “no direct role” in the case and police would

examine the evidence and also the possible involvement of his brother Shamas.

Rizwan Siddiqui was on Saturday sent to police custody till Mach 23. Advocate Rizwan Merchant, who opposed police custody, said his client was also an advocate and had been made a scapegoat. He said police had violated all procedures set by the apex court for investigation and arrest. “Rizwan always wanted to co-operate with the investigating agencies. He had no role to play in the entire CDR scam,” Merchant said.

He said that when the police had wanted certain evidence about the lawyer’s clients, he had written a letter to the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa seeking permission.

But Nitin Thakre, senior inspector with the crime branch, claimed the lawyer was not co-operating with the authorities. Thakre justified the arrest saying the lawyer could have destroyed evidence and said that in another case, an accused had got all data on his mobile phone erased at a remote location.

Outside the magistrate’s court, Merchant alleged that senior Thane police officers were trying to protect Nawazuddin Siddiqui. He refused to give any details though, saying, “Whatever is to be done will be done in a court of law. We believe in fighting such false cases in a court of law.” Merchant said he would also challenge his client’s custodial remand in the courts.