CBI gets 12-day custody of kidney kingpin

The CBI produced Amit in a Delhi court on Sunday. The court ruled that the CBI will retain custody of the alleged organ trade mastermind till February 22 so that Amit can be questioned further.Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sanjiv Jain said here that the next hearing in the case would take place when Amit Kumar's custodial remand ends, IANS reported.Amit Kumar's carefully crafted kidney kingdom came crashing down on Saturday when the Nepalese government decided to deport him — almost exactly 48 hours after he was arrested from Chitwan in Nepal, near the border with India.The Nepalese government even pulled forward his day in court, one day ahead of his scheduled hearing on Sunday.Kumar was handed over to a CBI team, which then flew him back to New Delhi on Indian Airlines flight IC 814.His deportation also put to an end to speculation about his deportation being possibly delayed since it was being reported that Nepal might first charge him with violating the law in that country - specially foreign exchange rules.There were recurring rumours that he might bribe his way out — something that he had tried. But that ploy did not work.After a morning of conflicting reports by Nepalese authorities, it became clear that Kumar was going to be sent back. Kathmandu says the charges that Amit faces in India are far more serious.The Nepalese government also chose to overlook the fact that the kidney kingpin's racket had deep links in that country, including a hospital allegedly built with the help of a minister.