CBI's Rs 5 lakh reward for info on Bhanwari's whereabouts

New Delhi, Nov 1: CBI announced a reward of Rs five lakh for information about whereabouts of midwife Bhanwari Devi who has gone missing after being abducted allegedly at the instance of sacked Rajasthan minister Mahipal Maderna. The agency also announced another Rs one lakh for information leading to the arrest of absconding accused Sahiram who is suspected to be the mastermind behind Devi's disappearance.

As the probe into the case gained momentum, CBI is also examining the role of Mahipal Maderna and the agency believes that the 36-year-old auxiliary nurse, who went missing from Jodhpur about one and half months ago, could have been killed. The call records of cell phones used by Bhanwari Devi's kidnappers indicate that Sahiram was in touch with Maderana until the day the nurse was kidnapped from Jodhpur's Bilara area on September 1, official sources said.

However, there is no record of calls between Maderna and Sahiram ever since the latter disappeared after his name came up during investigations, the sources said.

Bhanwari Devi, who was posted as auxiliary nurse midwife at a sub-centre in Jaliwada village, around 120 kms from Jodhpur district, went missing on Sept 1. Her husband Amarchand has alleged she was abducted at the behest of former Water Resources Minister Mahipal Maderna and his associates. The charges have been refuted by them.

The sources said CBI was working on the possibility of the murder of Bhanwari Devi as it has got some indication that her body may have been burnt in some limestone quarry in the state.

PTI