CBI may take over probe

BY OUR CORRESPONDENT

with agency inputs

NEW DELHI

May 31: After the Uttar Pradesh police failed to make any significant breakthrough into the Aarushi double murder case, the stage is all set to hand over the investigations to the Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI). A formal announcement in this regard is likely to be made next week. UP chief minister Mayawati had on Thursday sought a CBI probe into the murders.

The formal procedure for the CBI to investigate is if the cases have inter-state ramifications or involve public servants, sources said. However, in the murder case of ACP of the Delhi police, Rajbir Singh in Gurgoan about two months ago, the case can be transferred if it gains significance of the national importance.

The Uttar Pradesh government had routed its request through the department of personnel and training (DoPT) which has been processed by the Centre and a formal communication was sent to the CBI to seek its opinion into the case. A senior official said that the agency had received a letter from the Central government requesting its opinion on a request from the Uttar Pradesh government to take over the probe into the gruesome May 16 murders. "We received a letter on Friday seeking our opinion in the Arushi murder case. We have not replied yet. But the chances are very likely that we take up the case next week," he said.

Aarushi, a Class 9 student of Delhi Public School (Noida) was found dead with her throat slit in her family’s Jal Vayu Vihar apartment on May 16. The police initially named domestic help Hemraj as the prime accused, but backtracked after his dead body was found on the building’s terrace on May 17.

The police has failed to trace the weapon used in committing the crime. It has also alleged that the Dr Rajesh Talwar, the main accused in the double murder and father of Arushi, is not co operating with the investigators.