The suspect, whose name has not yet been disclosed by the CBI, was escorted to the spot under a heavy police cover.
The CBI on Monday took the lone suspect arrested by it in the rape and murder case a 16-year-old schoolgirl to Halaila forests — where the victim’s body was found dumped on July 6, 2017. The suspect, whose name has not yet been disclosed by the CBI, was escorted to the spot under a heavy police cover. He was taken to two spots — one where the body was dumped and other where the crime was allegedly committed. The sudden CBI move came just two days before the central agency’s High Court deadline for submitting its status report on April 25.
It was on Sunday, that the suspect was brought back to Shimla from Delhi by the CBI teams and early on Monday morning, he was driven to the spot with state police providing cover to prevent any unruly scenes due to public sentiments attached to the case.
This was first time since the CBI took up the probe on July 21 that the the area witnessed massive police deployment in and around Bankuffer and Halaila forests. However, as the word spread, a huge crowd suddenly converged at the spot. They had to be stopped by the police from reaching the suspect, who had his face covered.
Insiders revealed that the suspect, who had been working in the area as woodcutter in the Dandi forests en route the victim’s village, was arrested on the basis of scientific evidence and that he had admitted to his presence in the area when incident took place.
The CBI, however, remains tight-lipped on the outcome of Monday’s exercise.
“It’s a High Court-monitored investigation. We will file our status report before the special bench headed by hon’ble Acting Chief Justice on April 25. That too will be in a sealed over, but it’s fact that we have made headway, arrested the culprit and now we will follow the next course advised by the High Court,” an official of the CBI told The Indian Express.
A local who reached the area after getting to know about the CBI action said, “We wanted to meet the CBI team and ask few questions… We want the CBI to reveal this man’s (accused) role and tell if more people are also involved…”
The victim’s uncle, meanwhile, said: “We have lot of hopes from the CBI. One person who is said to be a woodcutter and not a local man has been arrested. Had we known that he was being brought to the spot, many people would have reached there and made their feeling of anger and dismay known to the CBI. Now, we will wait for the High Court hearing on April 25. Justice still eludes us.”
Kesari Devi, the 62-year-old mother of Rajender Singh alias Raju, one of the six suspects whom the police SIT had arrested on July 13 in the case, said, “My son is innocent and was framed by the police…I pray to God, that he comes back home safe. Secondly, I want the girl to get justice. Today ,I heard that the CBI has arrested some woodcutter. I strongly feel there is hope of the CBI cracking the case now. I was always confident that no local was involved in such a heinous crime. It was outsider’s job.”
She accused the police of framed six “innocent persons”, including Suraj ,who had died in custody. Of six arrests made by the police, five have already been released on bail. One among them died in custody. The CBI had arrested nine policemen including IGP Zahoor Zaidi, former SP Shimla D W Negi and DSP (Theog) Manoj Joshi and SHO Kotkhai Rajender Singh in the custodial death case.