The bail application of the Swiss couple, William Albin (58) and Loshair Lily Marty (57), charged with making pornographic films with children, was rejected by sessions court judge S B Munde on Wednesday morning.

This is their second attempt to secure bail.

The duo was arrested on December 16, 2000 from The Resort, a five-star hotel in Malad, a suburb in Mumbai. When the police raided their room, they were allegedly shooting a pornographic film with street children.

Defence lawyer Vijay M Thorat urged the judge to give them conditional bail considering their age and the fact that they were in jail for almost two years.

The couple are believed to have lured the kids with money, attractive clothes and free rides to perform sexual acts before the camera. The movies were then sold to people abroad, the police alleged.

The police also allege that the couple has been visiting India and neighbouring countries, like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, for the last 10 years.

The Swiss citizens have, however, denied all allegations and claimed to have visited India only as tourists. They claimed that they were falsely implicated and accused the police of digitally manipulating the seized pictures.

Their earlier bail plea was rejected because the investigation was at a crucial stage and conduits, in India and other countries, through whom the couple operated had to be traced.

EARLIER REPORT:

Court to hear Swiss couple's bail plea on Wednesday

 More reports from Maharashtra