In what could widen the ambit of the Central Bureau of Investigation probe in the Nithari serial killings, the government has given to the agency a report of the central inquiry panel, which found negligence on the part of local police and raised the suspicion of organ trade behind the murders.
The 35-page report of the four-member committee which looked into the killings of women and children was forwarded to the CBI on Thursday, sources told PTI in New Delhi on Friday.
The panel was headed by Manjula Krishnan, joint secretary in the Women and Child Development Ministry.
The committee, in its report, has severely indicted the local police and the district administration for its apathy towards missing persons cases and suggested checking the organ transplant records of all hospitals in Noida while probing the organ trade angle.
On the investigation front, the committee has said that the modus operandi and the motive of the crimes are still not clear and there was need to probe the killings from different angles which include organ trade, sexual exploitation and other forms of crimes against the children.
It has also called for investigation of the involvement of more persons other than suspects Mohinder Singh Pandher and his domestic help Surendra Koli in the mass murder.
The panel said there was a need for further investigation to confirm the initial findings of the local police with regard to identification of the victims as it was solely based on the confessions of the two suspects.
The committee, also consisting of Joint Secretary in the Home Ministry K Skandan and Director of WCD Ministry J S Kochher, made two visits to Noida and held discussions with officials of the district administration.