Shehla case: Prime accused’s statement recorded in Indore

Responding to the prime accused and alleged contract killer Irfan’s plea to the special CBI court that he wanted to record his confessional statement, court of special judicial magistrate (CBI) recorded his statement.

Responding to the prime accused and alleged contract killer Irfan’s plea to the special CBI court that he wanted to record his confessional statement, court of special judicial magistrate (CBI) recorded his statement on Thursday.

Two prosecution witnesses, including Rohit Batham and Lokesh Songara, also appeared in the court and were cross-examined by defence counsel in RTI activist Shehla Masood murder case.

Advocate Sunil Shrivastava, counsel for co-accused Saba Farooqui, said Rohit Batham, who was an employee at the petrol pump owned by Asad Parveez, husband of Zahida Parveez, turned hostile in the court.

He said that in the court trial, Rohit informed that three or four CBI officials took his statements in different rooms. They were scolding him and threatened him and repeatedly asked the same question.

In the court, Rohit informed that he kept waiting from morning till evening at the investigation agency office to record his statement.

"More importantly, investigation agency produced only one page statement in the court, while according to Rohit, agency took eight to 10 pages’ long statement," said advocate Shrivastava.

Second witness Lokesh Songara, who was also a petrol pump employee, said Asad Parvez managed to get two mobile SIM cards, one for himself and another for Zahida Parvez, using his photo identity proofs.

"I don’t know whom and what they talked on mobile phone," Lokesh said.

"On his education background, Lokesh said he is Class 12 pass and is able to read Hindi, but can’t read or write English and eventually he didn’t know what investigation agency officials wrote in English," advocate Shrivastava added.