CBI's SIT reaches Dhanbad, starts probe into judge death case (Lead, correcting day)

New Delhi/Ranchi, Aug 5 A day after taking over the probe into the death of Dhanbad judge Uttam Anand, a 20-member Central Bureau of Investigation SIT team from Delhi has swung into action, officials said on Thursday.

A CBI official related to the development said that the SIT, led by Additional Superintendent of Police Vijay Kumar Shukla, had reached Dhanbad on Thursday and started collecting documents of the case registered by the Jharkhand Police SIT.

He said that the agency also collect the details of the probe carried out by the state police, and will soon meet the wife of the judge and take her statement as well.

The official also said that the agency visited the accident spot and also met several people related to probe at the Dhanbad Sadar police station.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Anand was killed on July 28 after a autorickshaw hit him while he was on a morning walk, and a case was registered by the police on a complaint from his wife against an unknown auto driver.

After the CCTV footage surfaced, the Jharkhand government had formed an SIT to probe the matter. But later, it recommended the CBI probe into the death.

The state SIT probing the killing of the judge has so far not made any headway, despite arresting a total of 17 people, including autorickshaw driver Lakhan Verma and his associate Rahul Verma.

Police has so far questioned more than 240 people in connection with the case but is yet to arrive at conclusions, as is now contemplating with the idea of getting the narco test done of the two main accused, and the autorickshaw owner.

Police sources said that both accused are not cooperating and are claiming that the accident occurred under the influence of liquor, which is not being accepted by the police team.

On Tuesday, the Jharkhand High Court on Tuesday directed the CBI to start the probe into the death of the judge at the earliest, so that no evidence is destroyed, and directed the state government to provide all logistics support and documents to it.

The court also directed the Jharkhand DGP to ensure security to the judicial officers in the state, and ensure deployment of security guards at their houses. It also wanted to know, if the incident took place at 5.08 a.m., why the FIR was lodged at 12.45 p.m.

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