Aarushi Murder: Case Against Accused Weak, Says CBI

Aarushi Murder: Case Against Accused Weak, Says CBI 16 Jan 2009, 1544 hrs IST, IANS NEW DELHI: Eight months after the murder of teenager Aarushi Talwar and her family's domestic help, a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) official admitted on Friday they have no "clinching evidence" and that the case against the three accused is weak. "We have completed our investigations and will be filing our chargesheet very soon. Though we cannot give any time-frame, more likely it will be done within two-three weeks," a CBI officer said on condition of anonymity. "Our chargesheet will be based on forensic evidence." Aarushi, daughter of dentist couple Rajesh and Nupur Talwar, was found with her throat slit at their house in Noida near Delhi on May 16. The family help, Hemraj, was found murdered on the terrace a day later. The police initially suspected the father but he was later declared innocent. The CBI then arrested Rajesh Talwar's medical assistant Krishna and accused him of committing the murder with the help of Raj Kumar and Vijay Mandal, both domestic helps in the neighbourhood. But a CBI court let off the three due to lack of adequate evidence. The officer admitted that detectives still don't have any "clinching evidence" against the three and it would be "very difficult" to bring them to book. "The murder weapon and the mobile phones of the victims were crucial in the case. Had they been recovered, it would have been very helpful to pin down the accused," the officer said. Asked if the accused would walk free for want of evidence, he said: "The case is weak but we are taking all legal recourse to bring justice to the family. But it is the court which has to decide the case finally." Speaking about the confessional statements of the accused, the officer said: "On their own, the statements don't hold any substantial ground in court. The accused have denied their role in the killings." The source refused to speak on the fresh material evidence gathered in the last two-three months. The CBI faced flak when Krishna, Mandal and Kumar were set free for want of evidence. The agency failed to submit a charge sheet in the case because it could not provide any concrete evidence against them. Earlier this month, Raj Kumar returned from Nepal and appealed before the court to ask the CBI to justify its need to question him again. All the accused have denied their involvement in the murders.

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