New Delhi: What do the murder of teenaged Arushi in Noida, grisly killings of 18 children and a woman in Nithari, and the mysterious death of Muslim computer graphics designer Rizwanur Rehman in Kolkata have in common?
In all three high-profile crime cases, the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) probe was led by joint director (Special Crime) Arun Kumar.
All three cases were transferred to the central agency after the police of the respective states drew flak for their initial handling of the investigations.
Incidentally, in the first two cases, men initially held as the main suspects have been eventually given a clean chit by the premier investigating agency.
Remains of 18 children and a woman were found Dec 27, 2007, from a drain adjoining businessman Moninder Singh Pandher's house in Nithari village in Noida. The police arrested Pandher and his servant Surender Koli on charges of rape and murder of some children and at least one woman.
The CBI took up the investigation Jan 10, 2007, from the Uttar Pradesh Police.
Of the 18 cases of murder and kidnapping, the CBI has so far let off Pandher in 12, while Koli has been charged for the crimes.
“Pandher was not at all aware of the killings by Koli and he has not committed any murder,” Arun Kumar said March 22, 2007.
Koli was termed a “cannibal” and Pandher was only charged under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956, for allegedly procuring call girls and indulging in prostitution along with his friends at his house.
Arushi, 14, was found dead at her parents' upscale Jalvayu Vihar home in Noida May 16. While the police suspected the family's domestic help Hemraj, his body also was found a day later from the terrace of the same building.
Noida police arrested Rajesh Talwar May 23, saying he was against his daughter's alleged close ties with Hemraj and also that she was opposed to his alleged extra-marital affairs.
The CBI Friday gave a clean chit to dentist Rajesh Talwar and held Krishna, his medical assistant, and two domestic servants Raj Kumar and Vijay Mandal as responsible for the killings of Arushi and the Talwar family's domestic help Hemraj.
“The Noida Police case diary does not have any evidence against Talwar. We have also not found any evidence against him so far,” Arun Kumar told reporters here.
Rizwanur Rehman, 30 years old graphic designer, was found lying dead near a railway line in Kolkata Sep 21, 2007. Barely weeks earlier, Rehman had married a HIndu woman, daughter of one of the leading industrialists of Kolkata.
His family alleged that he was under pressure from his in-laws for separation from his wife and claimed he was possibly bumped off after he refused to annul his marriage with the Hindu woman. After the city police officials were found hobnobbing with the industrialist, a public outcry forced the state government to hand over the investigations to the CBI.
The CBI probe, again headed by joint director Arun Kumar, concluded the high profile industrialist was not involved in Rehman's death, and that he committed suicide.
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