Pandey's bail plea rejected, sent to judicial custody

NEW DELHI: A day after he surrendered and was sent to police custody, the Patiala House Court on Friday rejected the bail plea of Ashish Pandey and sent him to judicial custody till Monday.

A Delhi Police officer on Friday said, "On Thursday, Pandey's gun and BMW car were seized from his family home in Lucknow. Over 50 people, including Pandey's father, uncle and 12 employees of Hyatt Regency, were interrogated and all offices and homes of the family members and friends in Lucknow and eastern Uttar Pradesh have been searched."

"The identities of the three women have been ascertained and their role in the scuffle is being verified," he further said.

The officer added that it is not yet known if they have left the country.

Son of former Bahujan Samaj Party MP Rajesh Pandey, Ashish was surrendered before the court on Thursday after he was wanted for flashing a gun at Hyatt Regency Hotel on October 14.

His statement was recorded on Thursday and the sequence of events as narrated by him is being verified.

Talking to reporters after surrendering on Thursday, Ashish claimed he did not "brandish" the gun.

"It was hanging behind me all the time. I did not even address that girl; she pushed me and made obscene hand gestures," he had said.

Pandey had been on the run since a video went viral showing him at the foray of the five-star Hyatt Regency Hotel, threatening Gaurav Singh, the son of a former Congress lawmaker from Delhi, and his female friend with a gun.

The row had reportedly started in the hotel's ladies toilet.