CBI has no firm lead in Aarushi case

It has been eight days since the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the probe into the murder of teenaged Aarushi Talwar and her domestic help Hemraj, in which her father is the prime suspect, but the agency is yet to zero in on the killer.

On June 1, the CBI registered Aarushi's murder case against "unknown persons". Her dentist father, Rajesh Talwar, was arrested as an accused by the Noida police, but has been treated by the CBI only as a "suspect".

"We have not named an accused in the case so far as no concrete evidence has come our way. We cannot name anybody as an accused just because the investigations are getting prolonged," said a CBI official on condition of anonymity.

However, CBI Director Vijay Shanker said, "the breakthrough is going to come soon."

Aarushi, 14, was found killed in her Noida home on May 16 with her throat slit. The Noida Police initially named domestic help Hemraj and even sent teams to trace him, but backtracked after his body was found a day later on the terrace of the Talwars' house.

The police arrested Talwar May 23, accusing him of killing his daughter in a fit of rage as he objected to her being close to Hemraj. The police had said at the time that Talwar first killed Hemraj and then his daughter.

The CBI took over the case after the Noida police drew flak for shoddy investigations.

"The delay in handing over the case to the CBI has proved detrimental. The crime scene has been disturbed if not destroyed completely. Now all our hopes are pinned on the forensic evidence reports, which are awaited," the official said.

The Noida police had not even bothered to seal the crime scene.

After taking over the case, the CBI lifted blood samples still found at the scene of crime, suspected fingerprints, palm prints etc. and collected other forensic evidence.

The blood soaked blanket found on the body of Aarushi and other articles of clothing having suspected blood stains were also seized. Talwar's computer, laptop and some other articles in the Noida Police custody were also taken.

The bail plea of Rajesh Talwar, who is currently in judicial custody, will come up for hearing on Tuesday before a Ghaziabad court. With no clinching evidence on record against him, the court is likely to grant him bail.