Shahabuddin, the prime suspect in the Bhanwari Devi case, has told the interrogators that he himself killed the 36-year-old Jodhpur’s auxiliary nurse-cum-folk singer inside a jeep near Jodhpur on September 1.
According to the sources, Shahabuddin, who is in judicial custody, claimed Bhanwari was murdered immediately after her abduction. “Probe has already revealed that former Rajasthan minister Mahipal Maderna allegedly hired Sahi Ram Bishnoi for `50 lakhs to get a CD, allegedly showing Maderna in compromising position with the folk singer, from Bhanwari. Since Bhanwari was wary of Sahiram, he introduced his aide Shahabuddin as Mumbai’s businessman Raju Bhai to her,” sources said.
Sources further said, “On September 1, Shahabuddin and Sohan Lal, another suspect, took Bhanwari to Bilara, near Jodhpur, on a jeep. They had also installed a CD player inside the jeep to check the CD, which they wanted from Devi.” When Bhanwari refused to give them the CD, Shahabuddin allegedly strangled her inside the jeep and handed over her body to a Jodhpur-based gang, sources added.
“Shahabuddin told his interrogators that he himself killed Bhanwari inside the jeep on September 1. His statement is being further verified with Sohan Lal, who was also present inside the jeep,” sources said. Both Shahabuddin and Sohan Lal bought two SIM cards on August 9 from Jodhpur on the basis of forged documents. They used to contact Devi from these two mobile numbers only, sources added.
Meanwhile, the CBI is planning to conduct narco-analysis and lie-detector tests on former Congress MLA Malkhan Singh, who was recently arrested by the sleuths in connection with the case.