CBI searches Durrani house | Did he kill? | It's not over yet

Noida: A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team probing the Arushi-Hemraj double murder case went to the house of Anita Durrani, the dentist colleague of Rajesh Talwar, on Friday night.

The CBI team went to the Noida house of Durrani after her name cropped up in the narco analysis of Krishna, the compounder of Talwar who was arrested earlier in the evening by the CBI.

The team searched the Durrani house at around 2230 hrs (IST). According to CBI sources, Krishna knew about the murders. The sources also said that the murder weapon was not a surgical knife as claimed by the Uttar Pradesh police but could probably be a khurki, a short curved knife.

Krishna was arrested on charges of destroying evidence. The CBI sources said there were likely three people behind the May 15 night killings.

The agency sources also claimed they might take the industrialist friend of Talwar for a lie detector test.

The CBI was trying to ascertain whether the industrialist's car was used in destroying evidence after the double murders.

"The Uttar Pradesh industrialist has been questioned in the Noida double murder to verify whether his car was used while destroying evidence," said a CBI official.

The industrialist was questioned after his name allegedly appeared during Krishna's narco-analysis test.

Krishna was arrested in the evening after the CBI conducted a series of scientific tests on him in New Delhi and Bangalore.

"On the basis of this scientific evidence, we have arrested Krishna," CBI joint director (Special Crime) Arun Kumar told reporters in Delhi.

Two tests - a polygraph test and narco analysis test - were carried out in Bangalore's Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL), while two lie detector tests were conducted at the CFSL in Delhi. Krishna also underwent a psychological test at the premier All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on Monday.

Kumar refused to divulge details of the tests, but said "investigations are on".

The tests were conducted as the CBI desperately seeks answers to the mystery behind the murders that have shocked the conscience of middle class India.

Aarushi, 14, was found killed in her Noida home May 16. Police initially named Hemraj as the main suspect, but his body was found on the terrace of the house the next day. Rajesh Talwar was arrested May 23.

The CBI took over the investigations June 1 after widespread condemnation of the manner in which the Noida police had investigated the case. Talwar's family had also demanded a federal probe.

Reacting to Krishna's arrest, his lawyer S.C. Sharma told IANS: "Our stand of illegal detention of Krishna stands vindicated. He has been detained since June 3 and the CBI finally arrested him Friday. We will move a plea for his bail."

Krishna will be produced before the CBI special court in Ghaziabad Saturday.

Rajesh Talwar's sister-in-law Vandana said: "We are happy with the CBI investigations and believe that they have arrested the right person. We are waiting for the truth to come out so that the family gets justice."

Asked if she could pinpoint the motive behind the double murders, she replied: "We would like the CBI to come to some conclusion."

Rajesh Talwar's lawyer Pinaki Sharma, who has vociferously declared the dentist's innocence, said: "We are hopeful of arguing for his bail (in a Ghaziabad court June 26). The CBI believes a 'kukhri (a curved knife) was used in both the killings. Now the CBI must not oppose Rajesh's release."

Krishna apparently also took the name of a friend, who works as a domestic help in the capital. He was also being questioned, sources said.

A CBI team Friday also conducted a psychological test on Rajesh Talwar at the Dasna jail in Ghaziabad where he is lodged. The test was conducted to "synchronise" the sequence of events leading up to the crime, a CBI source revealed.

The agency is also investigating the role of two former servants of the Talwars - Vishnu and Raju. While Vishnu, who was a suspect earlier, is being questioned, Raju was picked up from Mansarovar Park, Shahdara in East Delhi, on Wednesday.

Raju, or Nimraj Kaushal, was believed to have died in an accident at Pandav Nagar area of east Delhi on April 14. However, it turned out to be case of mistaken identity.

Meanwhile, Krishna's family Friday petitioned the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) for his immediate release.