The court has extended the judicial custody of 57-year-old Monica Bond and her 37-year-old daughter Heather Bond following an appeal by the prosecution that they needed more time to investigate the case.

“During police interrogation, the two women had said that they were carrying their personal arms and ammunition by mistake. They claimed to have licenses, but the documents they had produced were unreadable. Primary police investigation points out that they might have produced fake documents. We are investigating the case,” said K L Tamta, IG North Bengal.

Officials from the US Consul General’s office in Kolkata were also present during the hearing. On April 16, the court had rejected the bail application of the two California residents, and remanded the duo to three-days judicial custody.