Monica Bedi

Monica was just a 10-month-old when her father migrated to Norway. Monica was born in Chabbewal village, 15 km from Hoshiarpur. She got into films after she met producer Manoj Kumar in England while she was studying English literature at Oxford in 1992. Manoj’s son Kunal was her classmate. Manoj Kumar is believed to have launched her film career along with his son Kunal. 1995 could have been the year when Monica got involved with the underworld.

NRI, Monica Bedi acted in:

• Tada
• Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat
• Jodi No.1
• Jaanam Samjha Karo
• Kaala Samrajya
• Lohpurush (1999)
• Tirchhi Topiwale
• Kalicharan
• Ek Phool Teen Kante
• Jeeyo Shaan Se
• Khilona
• Ashique Mastana
• Suraksha

Monica Bedi, a small time actress, had acted more than a dozen films in Telugu. It is ace producer D. Ramanaidu who introduced her in Telugu in his film, TAJMAHAL, after she shot in to fame with her debut Hindi film, TIRCHI TOPIWALA.

Soon, she was flooded with offers in Telugu as she has no qualms with exposing to any extent. "She had obliged whatever demands the producers had made without any reservations.

Indiainfo correspondent met several producers to know more about Monica. It is learnt that she had always been very greedy and used to do 'anything' for money. "I think that's why she had got more offers in Telugu than in Bollywood though she hails from Punjab, " said a producer who had worked with her.

Monica Bedi came to Mumbai from Delhi to try her luck in the film industry. It was here that she came in contact with Mukesh Duggal, a film producer, who took her to Dubai for a stage show.

In Dubai, he introduced Monica to Abu Salem. Salem helped Monica get work in Hindi movies. In turn, it is alleged, Monica passed on information about film personalities to Salem.

It is believed that during this time she made acquaintances with Abu Salem, underworld don, who was then hiding in Hyderabad. Police say that with his help, she had acted in Sunil shetty's KALA SAMRAJYA, Salman Khan's JANAM SAMJAKARO.

As the CBI has traced the genesis of her passports to Kurnool, a town in AP, state police have begun digging her links with local Mafia. Police found that Abu Salem used her in forefront to get the passports, as it is easy to get a passport being heroine's husband.

Monica was arrested in Lisbon in September 2002 along with her companion Abu Salem, one of India's most wanted men who is accused of masterminding a series of bombings that ripped through Mumbai's commercial district in March 1993 killing more than 250 people.

"I regret meeting him. The only hope I have is my asylum request and I implore the authorities to take into account that I am a person, I am not Abu Salem's shadow," she told a weekly newspaper.

In 2004, Monica wrote an emotional letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh requesting him to get her extradition to India stopped, as she feared harassment at the hands of law enforcing agencies.

She pleaded her innocence despite being caught with alleged underworld don Abu Salem, one of the main accused in Mumbai's serial blasts of 1993.

Monica pleaded in her letter that she had nothing to do with the criminal acts of Salem and she be allowed to return to Norway