Ambala, Feb 22: Amit Kumar, the alleged kingpin in the multi-crore kidney transplant racket, was today sent to judicial custody till March seven by a CBI court here.

Kumar was produced in the court of CBI Duty Magistrate Sunita Grover amidst tight security. Media persons were not allowed inside the court premises.

CBI's Public Prosecutor A K Singh did not seek police custody of Kumar, who would now be lodged in the central jail here.

Defence counsel Pradeep Batra made an oral submission on behalf the accused seeking permission to allow him to speak to his family on telephone. The court just took note of the submission and issued no direction.

The case was registered against Kumar and others by the CBI on February eight relating to sections 420 (cheating), 342 (illegal confinement), 326 (causing grievous hurt), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC and section 18 and 19 of Transplantation of Human Organs Act of 1994.

Meanwhile, a Nepalese "agent" of Amit Kumar, the alleged kingpin in the multi-crore kidney racket, has been arrested in Saptari district of eastern Nepal.

Pankaj Jha, 34, was arrested on Thursday from his house at Barhibirpur village, Nepal Police spokesman Sushil Bar Singh Thapa said.

Police claimed that Jha had confessed to his involvement in the kidney racket.

Many poor Nepalese residing in rural areas had fallen prey to Jha, who was running a nursing home in Kathmandu, they said.

Police had launched a search operation to trace Jha after Kumar was arrested at a resort in Chitawan on February 6. Kumar was later deported to India.

Police have started further investigation into the illegal kidney trade linking Nepal and India, a police officer said.