The CBI is now relying heavily on call details of the accused in the NRHM scam to unravel the mystery behind the murders of two CMOs and the death of deputy CMO inside Lucknow jail.
The accused in the NRHM scam have been continuously feigning complete ignorance about their links with the three shooters — Ram Krishna Verma, Anand Tiwari and Vinod Sharma — who were arrested on June 17, 2011 and had allegedly murdered the two CMOs.
Former CMO, Dr A.K. Shukla, had earlier denied “even recognising “R.K. Verma, the man who had reportedly arranged for the shooters to eliminate the two CMOs. However, Dr Shukla was crestfallen when the CBI placed his call details before him — he had made and received several calls to Verma. Dr Shukla and Ram Krishna Verma were also made to face each other and confronted with evidences that confirmed their links.
Similarly, late on Friday night, the CBI summoned former health minister Anant Misra for questioning. He was made to sit before Dr Shukla and confronted with facts about their relationship with each other and the alleged assailants. Anant Misra is a close relative of BSP leader Satish Chandra Misra. “All these persons involved in the NRHM scam were so drunk on power that they happily made and received calls from their cell phones, leaving no room for any denial later on. Our investigations show a clear link between the actual killers and those who were plotting the murders,” said a CBI official.
According to sources, the cell phone details of one of the persons, suspected to have taken Dr Y.S. Sachan out of the jail on the day he was found dead, show that he made several calls during the day to a mafia don-turned-politician. The location of the person was along the Indira canal on the outskirts of Lucknow while the mafia don’s location was somewhere near the Chinhat area throughout the day.
At least a dozen calls were made between the two.
The CBI official said that they were treading cautiously in the murder investigations because of the involved of several politicians.
“We want to be doubly sure about our findings before we confront them. The cases are almost wrapped up and within the next one month, we hope to be ready with the final report,” he said.
Meanwhile, more arrests are likely top be made within the next few days as the CBI investigations enter the final lap— both in the NRHM scam and in the three murders.