Expediting its probe in to the fake encounter killing of Sohrabuddin, his wife Kausar Bi and another person Prajapati, a Central Bureau of Investigation team was in Hyderabad to question three IPS officers and a few other policemen about their role in the case. With the investigations in Gujrat and some other places almost reaching the conclusion, the CBI has now focussed its attention on Hyderabad where crucial part of the drama took place in November 2005.
Though the CBI has not disclosed the names of the officers to be questioned, source said that they include a DIG and two SP rank officers.The CBI will grill them on the exact nature of assistance they provided to the Gujrat police team led by Rajkumar Pandyan and the reasons for it. The CBI team has already questioned some of the officers of AP police in the past. Similarly a senior officer of Gujrat CID Geeta Johari had also questioned the officers including Rajiv Trivedi, TV Sashidhar Reddy and Anil Kumar.
Sources said that the CBI could even arrest the officers after recording their statements.
The CBI was looking into the allegations that when Gujrat IPS officer Rajkumar Pandyan and his men came to Hyderabad in November 2005, following Sohrabuddin, some of the police officials in Hyderabad went out of the way to help the Gujrat team. Not only arrangements were made for their stay in the Police Officers Mess in Masab Tank area, the AP police officers also provided them with vehicles. Some of the lower rank officials and policemen from AP police also accompanied the Gujrat team during the operation to abduct Sohrabuddin. The policemen, on specific information that Sohrabuddin and his wife Kausar Bi were travelling in a bus of Sangita Travels from Hyderabad to Sangli, followed the buses in on the night of November 22, 2005.
"At around 1:30 am a Qualis over took my bus and stopped near Tadola village in Bidar district", recalled the bus driver Masihuddin. "Some people in plain cloths ordered me not to move from my seat while others entered the bus. After completing their work, they ordered the bus to leave. It was only later that I came to know that they had taken away two passengers".
The tickets were booked in false names and a false telephone number was given to the booking agent. It was only three days later that the news spread that Sohrabuddin was killed by police in Gujrat in an "encounter". Police claimed that he was conspiring to kill Chief Minister Narendra Modi. After some time Kausar Bi was also killed and her body was cremated in a farm house. Sohrab's aide Prajapti also met the same fate.
Sources said that the attention of the CBI was focussed on some crucial questions like why and on whose invitation Sohrabuddin and Kausar Bi had come to Hyderabad.
It is learnt that a former Naxalite turned police-informer Nayeem had played a dubious role in the entire game. "Some police officials used him to lure Sohrabuddin to Hyderabad enabling the Gujrat police team to execute its plans", informed sources said.
The CBI is now on the look out for Nayeem and his sister Salima, as she have acccompanied Kausar Bi during the couple's stay in Hyderabad.
Interestingly apart from Nayeem and Salima, her son-in-law Faheem has also gone underground after the CBI questioned him. Sources said that questioning of police officers of Hyderabad and Nayeem and his sister can unravel the entire mystery.
The role of another IPS officer from Gujarat, E Radhakrishnan was also under the CBI's scanner. He too reportedly helped the Gujrat police as he was on deputation at the Central Reserve Police Force group center in Hyderabad at the time.
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