Who helped Davy escape? CBI wants to know

The Central Bureau of Investigation wishes to write "the last chapter" of the Purulia arms drop case as the agency wants to know the name of a politician, if any, who had helped the main accused Kim Davy escape from Mumbai airport.

A solurce in the agency said the CBI is ready to probe the mysterious escape of Purulia arms drop case accused Kim Davy with the alleged help of a politician from Mumbai airport, if he gives details about him during his trial before Indian courts after his extradition from Denmark.

Sources in the agency said the "last chapter of this mystery will be written by Davy himself" as the CBI so far has not found involvement of any politician in the Purulia arms drop "conspiracy".

"The details about the escape can only be provided by Kim Davy. Let him come to India and say in the court whatever he is claiming through media interviews. Once he gives his statement in the court, we are ready to probe in every possible lead provided by him," a senior official of the agency said.

Davy, in a media interview, had alleged that a member of Parliament from Bihar had helped him escape from the country to Denmark after his infamous air-dropping operation of sophisticated weapons in Purulia in West Bengal on the night of December 17, 1995.

A CBI team has recently returned from Denmark where a five-judge bench of the Danish High Court, first to be constituted since 1957, concluded hearing extradition case of Davy.

The bench is likely to pronounce its decision in the case before the start of their summer vacations which begin some time in July.

Terming the claims of Davy as "diversionary" tactic to deflect the attention from core issue of his extradition, sources in the agency said the Danish High Court is not looking at the "conspiracy" or the "criminality" in the case as that part will be decided by Indian courts during trial.

"The Danish court is only looking at the issue of his extradition to India. The Indian government has already given two major assurances -- one, Davy will not be given any death penalty and second -- if proven guilty, he will serve sentence in a Danish prison. He has to be extradited only for standing trial before an Indian court," a CBI official said.

Sources said if Davy is extradited to India, he will get a fair trial during which he will be free to unravel all the details about the conspiracy and his mysterious escape.

They said if he makes those allegations before a court during his deposition, the agency will certainly try to corroborate them with hard evidence and bring the guilty to the book. After getting assurances from India, the Danish government ordered extradition of Davy. This order was challenged by Davy in a city court which rejected the order.

The Danish government appealed against the decision in the high court which has concluded the hearing on May 19.

The CBI, which is not a party to the case, had sent a team of officials to "assist" the Danish prosecution with facts and evidences about court system in India, the fairness and independence of judiciary system and media to convince that Davy's human rights will be protected in India.

The High Court was also informed that human rights in India are under watchful eyes of an independent body National Human Rights Commission which is headed by a retired Supreme Court judge and prisons in West Bengal are now correctional facilities where reformative approach is taken.

Peter Bleach, another accused in the case, who had spent eight years in Indian Jails before being pardoned by the President had deposed in support of Davy but Danish prosecution told the court that no assurances were given by the government regarding him which was not the case in Davy's extradition.

The Indian government has assured the Danish government that Davy has to be extradited only for standing trial before a court here. It was assured that Davy will not get death penalty and if proven guilty, he will serve the sentence in a Danish prison.

After getting assurances from India, the Danish government ordered extradition of Davy. This order was challenged by Davy in a city court which rejected the order. The Danish government appealed against the decision in the high court which has concluded the hearing on May 19.

Since the Danish government is defending its order of Davy's extradition, the CBI is not the party in the case. The Danish courts are not looking into the criminality of Davy or the merits of the case against him, they are evaluating if he could be extradited to India which according to him has a "medival legal system", sources said.