Neighbour says Talwars had taken his terrace key

Ghaziabad, Sept 7: A neighbour of Talwars told a CBI court hearing the Aarushi-Hemraj case that he never saw the door of their terrace locked and the couple's driver had twice come to take keys of his terrace on the day the girl's murder came to light, saying their own key was misplaced.

Puneesh Rai Tandon, who lives on the right side of Talwars' L-32 house and was fielded by the CBI, stated in the special CBI trial court here that he never saw the door of the terrace closed at the residential premises of the Talwars at Noida where the twin murder had taken place. He stated the door was closed on the day of the crime.

Aarushi was found murdered on May 16, 2008 in her bedroom, while the body of Hemraj, domestic help of Rajesh and Nupur Talwar, was found the next day on the terrace. The defense counsel in his cross examination asked the witness if he checked the terrace gate daily to which he replied in the negative.

Defence counsel Manoj Shishodia asked the witness whether he had checked the terrace door on 14th and 15th May 2008, to which Tandon said no. Tandon is the sixth witness produced in the court today and seven more witnesses have to be examined as per the order of the Supreme Court in the case and for consideration of bail for Nupur Talwar, who is an accused in the murder case along with her husband.

Tandon, who went to Talwars' house at 6.15 AM after hearing commotion, claimed that Aarushi's family had not informed the police till then and he had called the security guard, Virendra Singh, of Jalviyu Vihar Sector 25, Noida, and told him to inform the police about the murder. Tandon also told the court that "the same day in the evening at about 4 O' clock, Umesh, driver of Rajesh Talwar came to me to take the key of my flat's terrace. Umesh said that the key of L-32 terrace has been misplaced."

He said before the court that "I asked Umesh why did he need the key of my terrace, at which he told me that he wanted to throw away ice on the terrace which was brought to keep the body of Aarushi."

"I went to the terrace and opened the lock and Umesh, with some more people, kept the ice at my terrace. Umesh again came to me at 4 O' clock and asked me to open the door."

"I asked him why did he need the key again and again. Umesh told me that the mattress and bed sheet have to be kept at the terrace because they had to clean the house."

"I again went there and opened the lock. Two to three people with Umesh kept the mattress covered with a bed sheet dragging."

"I again locked the door and returned down stairs."

He also deposed before the court that "on May 17, 2008 Anita Durrani, a friend of the Talwars came to me and asked for the duplicate key of the terrace of L-32.

"I said that I did not have the duplicate key. After some time, the driver of my neighbour came to me and told that the dead body of Hemraj was found on the terrace of L-32."

He also told the court that he gave a golf stick bag to Dr Rajesh Talwar 8 to 9 years back. He identified the bag in the court.

On the day Aarushi's murder came to light, when he went inside house, Nupur was sitting on a sofa while Rajesh was sitting in the bed room, he said.

He told the court that her mother, "while weeping, told me that Hemraj killed Aarushi and fled."

"Afterwards I entered Dr Rajesh Talwar's bed room where he was weeping. I tried to console him by putting my hand on his shoulders but Rajesh pushed my hands and went inside Aarushi's room."

"I also followed him to the room, where Dr Nupur Talwar was sitting near the body of Aarushi and Rajesh sat at the feet of the body. Nupur was sitting silently."

The witness stated that he asked Nupur's father whether he had called the police at which he replied that their landline is out of order and added that he would go to his house and call his son (brother of Nupur) who was living in Dubai and then he left the house of the Talwars.

The witness stated that he also returned to his house after that and called the security guard to inform the police that in house number L-32 some incident had occurred.

PTI