Lie-detector test to be conducted on Kavita murder accused

Calcutta News.Net
Thursday 22nd February, 2007

New Delhi, Feb 22 : The two accused in the Kavita Rani murder case, Ravinder Pradhan and Ramautar Gupta will undergo a lie-detector test here today.

Pradhan and co-accused Gupta will be taken to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) headquarters here for the test according to directions given by Special CBI Magistrate Sapna Mishra to the Dasna District Jail Superintendent.

Mishra also directed the Ghaziabad Police to ensure security for the two accused who would undergo polygraph tests on today and tomorrow.

An application was filed by the CBI on February 14 in which it sought permission to carry out the polygraphs. The magistrate had reserved her orders, against which an application was moved in the district and sessions court by the defence counsel, which would be heard today.

Twenty-nine-year-old Kavita, a temporary lecturer of Chaudhry Charan Singh University in Meerut, had been reported missing from a women's hostel since October 23, 2006. The body is yet to be recovered.

Her family members accused senior politicians from the state behind her "disappearance". After much pressure was made on the State police, they finally produced Pradhan, who 'confessed' of abducting and killing Kavita with the help of his aide Yogesh on October 24.

Pradhan said that he had stuffed her body in a bag and dumped it into a canal in Bulandshahr.

He further alleged that Kavita had intimate relations with several influential people, including two former Uttar Pradesh ministers, one from Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the other from the Samajwadi Party and she had been blackmailing them, which brought about her end.

The Police had also given a clean chit to two ministers of the Uttar Pradesh Government - Basic Education Minister Kiranpal Singh and Food and Supplies Minister Babulal, whose name figured in letters seized from Kavita's hostel room.

However, Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) leader Meerajuddin denied Pradhan's version of the story, saying it was a "political conspiracy" and resigned from the ministry.

Police have registered cases under sections 364 (abduction with intent to murder) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of Indian Penal Code against several persons.

Have your say on this story