After 10 days in ACB custody which is probing the disproportionate property alleged to have been amassed by Kohchade, the suspended varsity official was remanded to judicial custody and sent to the Central prison here. Soon, his lawyers moved a bail plea in the court which was scheduled for a hearing on Wednesday.

The police now have a limited option of waiting till his bail plea comes up for hearing or go for an alternate legal recourse that may be available to them for ensuring early interrogation of the prime suspect.

Ever since his sensational arrest in a city hotel on June 19 when he tried to bribe a police officer, probing thescam, with cash Rs 7 lakh, Kohchade had been placed in custody with the ACB to facilitate investigations into his disproportionate wealth.

Following an extension on June 25, his custodial term was to end on Monday and the Sitabuldi police were expected to press for taking over Kohchade's custody from the ACB with a view to interrogate him and further the probe into the murky scandal. In between, they had to seek permission from the court for a simultaneous search of his university office along with the ACB personnel.

When produced in court on Monday, the police sought custody of Kohchade but the latter's counsel objected to the same on the grounds that they had not furnished the magistrate's production warrant. After hearing either sides, the court remanded Kohchade to judicial custody.

Meanwhile, Sitabuldi police station officer Inspector R A Sayyad told The Indian Express that the production warrant would be obtained on Tuesday.

According to sources, much is expected to come out of the murkyuniversity affair once, Kohchade's custody is obtained by the police. But for a preliminary round of questioning at the time of his arrest, the police have so far been unable to interrogate Kohchade in detail.

This notwithstanding, their probe has sustained a fair momentum with the arrest of at least five suspects, other than Kohchade, recovery of incriminating documents from Kohchade's office and a steady stream of vital information flowing in either in the form of anonymous letters or through informers.

Special teams have been despatched to Guntur in Andhra Pradesh in search of Kohchade's one-time confidante, Vishalaxmi, as also to Bhandara for the probe.