He also maintained contacts with underworld don Chotta Shakeel, according to disclosures made to police by co-accused Dr Upender Kumar Agarwal.

The police on Saturday said Agarwal had also told them that Kumar had links with some senior politicians. Kumar is also said to have established contacts with a former Haryana chief minister through a relative of his, Dr Beena Singh, who worked as a radiologist at Batra Hospital.

Sources in Moradabad police said Agarwal had told them how, when police in any state were close to busting his extensive network, pressure would be borne on them and the case would ultimately be dropped. Agarwal is said to have told Moradabad police that he himself was arrested once by Delhi Police but got away after paying a heavy bribe, only to be arrested 10 days later by Gurgaon police.

Moradabad SSP Prem Prakash said, “Upender said that Amit had far-reaching contacts and was almost impossible to catch . . . he had sources in every police department and worked closely with politicians.”

Prakash said Agarwal’s questioning had only confirmed their suspicions that Kumar had invested heavily in real estate — he could be owning much more than the nine properties in Delhi and Gurgaon that have so far been identified.

Sources said if Agarwal were to be believed, Kumar owned a hospital in Nepal and had also put money in some 150 hospitals across the European Union and in Gulf countries.

Of Kumar’s Bollywood links, Prakash said the doctor had acted in at least three movies — Khooni Raat, Kanun Ki Zanjeer, and Aag — and ran a film financing and distribution company called Film World. He had produced 80 films.

Agarwal also told the Moradabad police that it was one Younis Bhai who introduced Kumar to underworld don Chhota Shakeel. Relations later soured between Younis Bhai and the doctor.

While Agarwal’s revelations are not admissible as evidence in court, they could help police piece together how the racket operated and maybe eventually trace Kumar.

Moradabad police also confirmed on Saturday that after their raid on Kumar’s Palam Vihar premise in Gurgaon, they had been unable to nab him because one of his servants there had tipped him off. Also that Andhra Pradesh police had submitted to them an arrest warrant in Kumar’s name made out in a case they had registered. Some cases were registered against him in Jaipur too.

Meanwhile, Gurgaon police on Saturday took in another nurse, Rebecca, for questioning. She was picked up from Faridabad late on Friday night. Police also produced in court four of Kumar’s accomplices — a nurse called Linda, a nurse from RML Hospital, and two cooks — who were arrested on Thursday night.