While furnishing details about the role of the Andhra Pradesh police in the Shorabudddin fake encounter case to the Supreme Court, the CBI though had examined five officers of the state but failed to identify the cops who allegedly tracked Sohrabuddin up to Sangli in Maharashtra and provided “logistic support” to the Gujarat police in catching him.
The lengthy report filed after chargesheeting former Gujarat minister Amit Sha in the case, CBI also admitted its failure to trace Nayamuddin alias Kalimuddin, who allegedly had links with the naxalite and also was reportedly associated with Sohrabuddin, an interstate gangster and extortionist.
“In spit of extensive investigation, the identity of AP police officials who could have provided logistic help and assistance to Gujarat police could not be established. No evidence has emerged during investigation to establish that these unidentified persons were part of the conspiracy,” the CBI in its report said.
“If they (AP cops) had been identified, they could have been useful witness regarding the abduction of Sohrabuddin, his wife Kasaur Bi by the Gujarat police.”
The Supreme Court had issued specific direction to the CBI to have a detailed probe into the role of the Andhra Pradesh police officials, probably 13 in number, in alleged conspiracy with the Gujarat and Rajasthan police to nab Sohrabuddin, his wife Kasaur Bi and their associate Tulsiram Prajapati before their killing in alleged fake encounter.
The CBI, however, gave extensive detail about the assistance provided by five identified Andhra Pradesh police officers to Gujarat ATS SP R.K. Pandian, now an accused in the case.
But the five officers were given virtual “clean chit” by the CBI sating that they only provided the kind of facility to Pandian during his visit to Hydrabad between November 21 and 23 as is provided to any visiting officer form the other state.
The five officers were identified as N. Balasubramanian, who was SP of Prakasham district at the relevant time, Rajeev Trivedi, ACP (Crime), Hyderabad, L.K. Shinde, inspector Central Creime Station, Hydrabad, Chinthamani Srinivas, inspector Devarakondi police station and Shivaramakrishna, inspector special operation group. Regarding Nayamuddin, the CBI submitted that all efforts to locate him “went in vain”.
“Efforts were also made to locate Srihari, one of the gang member of Nayamuddin, which also went in vain. Srihari is the person who purchased the bus tickets for Sohrabuddin and Kasaur Bi for their journey from Hyderabad to Sangli and he also had come to see them off at the bus station on November 22, 2005,” the report submitted.
Sohrabuddin, Kasaur Bi and Tulsiram Prajapati were allegedly picked up by a joint team of Gujarat and Rajasthan police from the bus in Sangli on November 22, 2005 and taken to Gujarat where the two “gangsters” were eliminated in stage managed encounter a week later and Kasaur Bi was killed as she was the key witness to the whole episode.