Jessica case: Cops destroyed Manu's gun?

Where is the weapon of offence? Delhi Police could not give an answer to the court. So, does it mean the police themselves destroyed the key evidence in the case ? the .22 bore pistol owned by Manu Sharma?

Where is the weapon of offence? Delhi Police could not give an answer to the court. So, does it mean the police themselves destroyed the key evidence in the case — the .22 bore pistol owned by Manu Sharma?

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Delhi Police told the court Sharma had handed over the weapon to Ravinder Krishan Sudan or Titu, who fled to America with the pistol. How credible is this story?

Babu Lal, a security guard at a private agency who worked at Sharma’s farmhouse, in a statement to the court said a pistol was seized by police from the farmhouse during a raid on April 30, 1999.

“It is correct that when the policemen were leaving, I asked them to disclose the articles seized by them because I was required to tell the owner of the farmhouse. It is correct that the seized articles were a photograph of Manu Sharma, a diary, his arms licence, a pistol and a VHS tape,” Babu Lal told the court.

It says on April 30, 1999, accused Sharma handed over the pistol to one Titu, who was known to Manu, near Kashmiri gate in Delhi.

Titu then went to Manali to meet Manu’s uncle, Shyam Sunder Sharma. When Titu told Sharma about the pistol and the incident, Manu’s uncle gave him Rs 70,000 and asked him to leave for US immediately. Four days later Titu left for US.

On August 30,1999, the defence had also moved an application in the court asking the police to give a copy of the items seized during the raid.

The police, however, never filed any reply to it.

Quick recall ¦ Babu Lal, a guard who worked at Manu Sharma’s farmhouse, told court a pistol was seized by police from there on April 30, 1999. ¦ Among the seized articles were a pho tograph of Manu Sharma, a diary, his arms licence, a pis tol and a video cas sette, Lal told court.