Cash reward announced for Bhanwari murder accused

Rajasthan Director General of police Harish Meena on Thursday announced a cash reward of Rs 50,000 for information leading to the arrest of Kailash Jakhar, an accused in Bhanwari Devi abduction and murder case.

Jakhar had on June 14 escaped from police custody from a Jodhpur court premises where he was taken from jail for trial in some other case.

Several Police teams had raided many places in search of him but failed to trace him.

Jakhar, a resident of Jaloda village in Jodhpur, is an accused in 42 cases lodged with different police stations. The remains of Bhanwari Devi, the midwife, were recovered from a canal in Rajasthan. The Central Bureau of Investigation has filed three chargesheets in the abduction and

murder case against Pukhraj, Dinesh and Reshmaram who are under judicial custody in Jaipur, while investigation against absconding accused Indira Bishnoi, sister of jailed Member of Legisalative Assembly Malkhan Singh, is pending.

The accused have been charged under section 120-B (punishment of criminal conspiracy), 364 (kidnapping or abducting for murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence) and 302 (punishment for murder) of the Indian Penal Code and under the SC/ST Act.

Out of the total 17 accused in the case, 16, including ruling Congress party MLAs Mahipal Maderna and Malkhan Bishnoi, are under judicial custody while Indira is absconding.