The Central Bureau of Investigation on Sunday began investigations in the sensational murders of 14-year-old Aarushi and her domestic help Hemraj in Noida last month and formed a 25-member team in a bid to crack the case.
After re-registering the case filed by the a police, the team visited the scene of crime and spoke to some of the kin of the deceased besides interacting with the Noida police officers who were probing the twin murder.
The CBI clarified that it had taken over the investigations on the request of the Uttar Pradesh government and the Central government. The notification dated 31/05/2008 had entrusted the investigation of Case No. 695/08 U/s 302 IPC, PS Sector-20, District-Gautam Budh Nagar (UP) relating to the murder of Aarushi and Hemraj to the CBI.
"Accordingly, a regular case u/s 302 IPC has been registered by CBI," a CBI handout said.
A 25-member team led by joint director,CBI (Special Crime) along with the head of the department, forensic medicine, AIIMS; director, CFSL, New Delhi, visited the scene of the crime, details of which were not known to the media.
Interestingly, the family of Dr Talwar said that they did not have faith in the Noida police as their names were being maligned.
Chief Minister Mayawati was quick to write to the Union government and prevail upon the home ministry to order a CBI probe.
Noida police have arrested Aarushi's father Rajesh Talwar, a dentist, for allegedly killing his daughter and the servant in their Noida's Sector 25 house on the night of May 15-16. He is at present in judicial custody.
The police have claimed that he had killed Aarushi in a fit of rage after he found her with Hemraj in an "objectionable" position.
They have alleged that Talwar had taken Hemraj to the terrace and killed him before doing his daughter to death.
Nupur Talwar, mother of Aarushi, has claimed that her husband was innocent and that the Noida police have framed him.
The CBI would take in its custody the laptop of Rajesh and the desktop of Aarushi for further examination in their laboratory where the agency would try and retrieve even the data that has been deleted.
Last week, the Uttar Pradesh chief secretary had written to the Centre asking for a CBI probe following widespread criticism for the Noida police's "shoddy" investigation into the case.
Aarushi, a Class IX student of DPS Noida, was found with her throat slit and head hammered in her home on May 16 morning and the family help's body was found on the terrace a day later.
Additional Reportage: PTI