Chopper case: Romesh Sharma gets 10-year jail

New Delhi, July 23 (IANS) Romesh Sharma, a suspected aide of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, was Monday awarded 10 years' imprisonment by a Delhi court in a cheating and extortion case in which he grabbed a complainant's helicopter in 1996.

Additional Sessions Judge Sanjeev Jain also slapped a fine of over Rs.17 lakh on him for the offences of cheating, extortion, dishonestly receiving stolen property, kidnapping, criminal intimidation and conspiracy.

The court was hearing a case against Sharma lodged by H. Suresh Rao in 1998. He alleged that Sharma cheated him and grabbed his Bell-47 helicopter.

In its chargesheet, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said that Sharma came in contact with Rao in 1996 and expressed his desire to hire his chopper for campaigning in an election. After using the chopper Sharma refused to return it.

The chopper was later seized by the Delhi Police from the city. The case was later transferred to the CBI.