3 CBI officials probing Aarushi case removed; CBI denies it

New Delhi, Jun 12 (UNI) Amid day-long speculation that three senior officials were today removed from the investigation team probing the high-profile Aarushi murder case, the CBI denied any such thing having taken place.

''Nothing could be farther from truth,'' said a release from the CBI in the evening, denying any such shifting of officials from the investigation team having taken place.

CBI Director Vijay Shankar even warned the media against speculation, which according to him, were hampering investigations into the case.

However, according to a senior official the three officials of the Special Crime Unit investigating the case, DIG Zaki Ahmad, Superintendent of Police R S Dhankar and Additional SP R Bala, were removed today.

The sudden removal of three senior officials assumes significance in the light of the agency being swamped by criticism over making no headway into the case despite 12 days of it handling the Noida double murder.

Sources said the removal of these officials was done as they were responsible for taking Krishna for polygraph tests without taking an appropriate court order to this effect.

The officials removed from investigations are part of the several teams assigned to probe the case.

Meanwhile, Dr Rajesh Talwar's compounder Krishna, who was taken to Bangalore by the CBI for 'various scientific tests' today underwent a nacro analysis test.

This would be followed by brain mapping, said sources adding that narco tests were still on.

Krishna alias Kishan was yesterday taken to Bangalore, after polygraph tests were conducted on June 9 and 10 at the CFSL here ''to verify his statements given to the Noida police''.

Presently under detention, which experts say was illegal, Krishna was picked up by the CBI on June 3 just two days after it was handed over the Aarushi murder case investigation from the Noida police.

However, the CBI had yesterday said these tests were being conducted on Krishna as per his consent and under the provisions of various laws while adding ''the CBI court has also been informed about this.'' The CBI, which took over investigations in the sensational Noida double murder case on June 1, had subjected prime accused Dr Rajesh Talwar, Aarushi's father, to a lie detector test on June 4.

The central agency had constituted ten teams to probe the various dimensions of the double murder involving Aarushi and Talwars' servant Hemraj.

Earlier on June 2, forensic experts from the CBI had used special tools to carve out a bloody fingerprint from a wall of the Talwars' residence.

Aarushi's body was found in her apartment on May 16 and the police had immediately suspected domestic help Hemraj as the prime suspect.

They were, however, proved wrong, when Hemraj's body was found on the terrace of the building the following day.

Police had later taken Dr Rajesh Talwar, a well known dentist, into custody, alleging that he killed Aarushi.

Dr Talwar's wife Nupur, who is also a dentist, has defended her husband, saying he was innocent and both of them discovered Aarushi's body together.

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