Satish Shetty Murder: Audio clip points at derailing probe by top CBI officials

The murder probe of Pune-based RTI activist has been witness many incidences including, bogus land deals, murder cover-ups, controversial arrests and destruction and manipulation of evidence. 

After the Pune police allegedly botched up the murder investigation, the case was transferred to CBI in 2010, four months after the murder had taken place on January 13, 2010. No further arrests took place till April 2016 when Zee Business accessed an audio clip of a CBI official investigating the case. The clip was recorded by Sandeep Shetty, brother of deceased RTI activist and he claims that the conversation with the CBI official took place in July 2014, a month before CBI filed a closure report stating that it was not able to find prosecutable evidence against the accused which also included cops, an advocate and real estate giant Virendra Mhaiskar.

CBI said that there was no direct evidence against Mhaiskar.

But in the audio clip the official not only claims that Mhaiskar, the real-estate baron and one of the accused in the murder, met then CBI director Ranjit Sinha, but also blames the topmost rung of the agency, including current director Anil Sinha, for allegedly trying to derail the probe made by their own investigators.

The clip was submitted to the Bombay High Court last year. According to CBI, the official in question later filed an affidavit in the court, stating that he was under no pressure from any quarter and that he probed the case fairly. Edited excerpts from the audio clip, accessed by Santosh Kumar of Zee Business.

In the audio clip, while talking to activist Satish Shetty’s brother Sandeep, CBI official Susheel Prasad Singh says he needed more time for analysis, as 550 persons were examined, 30 places were raided, 36 persons underwent polygraph tests, call data records of 200 people were analysed and 50 other murderers were questioned. He says he has no reason to believe in the police theory behind Shetty’s murder.
Singh further says he told his seniors, “Either take the case from me or give me more time. Otherwise, I will resign in front of the press and expose everyone.” Singh also accuses joint director Keshav Kumar and the then CBI SP Vidya Kulkarni of being in the thick of the things.

Here is the transcript of the conversation heard on the audio: 

SUSHEEL PRASAD SINGH: Main kaise local police ki theory ko maan lu jab kuch hai hi nahi. Maine kaha main nahi doonga. Main kisi haalat mein 15 ko doonga nahi. Case mere haath se le lo, ya main resign kar doonga press kay saamne. Aur main sabko expose bhi kar doonga. I will resign. Toh madam (CBI SP Vidya Kulkarni) boli aisa mat karo. Wo udhar JD kay pass hi thi.
SANDEEP SHETTY: Achha, Bombay main hi thi wo?
SINGH: Wahin thi, unhi ko milne gayi thi. JD (joint director Keshav Kumar) ney usko dabaya hoga. Toh boli 20 ko de do. Toh main bola chalo kyun jhagda karen, 20 ko deta hun. Par 19 ko toh madam hi chali gayi.
SHETTY: Ye dekho, shuruwat mein jab JD aaye na, wo bahut proactive they.
SINGH: Haan, hum ye karenge, woh karenge, isko pakad lenge.
SHETTY: Aap ko kab se lag raha hai ki woh ye ho gaye, negative. Kyun ki jab main pehle teen baar mila na, toh bahut confidently, aur iske saath bol rahe they. Sandeep, ye karna hi hai humko.
SINGH: Jab se ye SD (Anil Sinha) aaya hai na, tabhi se lagta hai matlab. Humein bhanak thi. Lekin jab hum ko February mein bulaya gaya na, meeting ko, tab laga ki kuch gadbad chal raha hai. Itni hadbadi kyun hai? Keh rahey ki itna time ho gaya, kitna time Nikhil Rane case ko koi nahi pooch raha.
Later, the two discuss the possibility of a government change and it’s repercussions on the case. Singh then goes on to accuse senior CBI officials of not being fearful of the government and of taking money from ministers.
SHETTY: Lekin mujhey ek baat bataiye. Government change ka effect hai kya isme?
SINGH: Nahi, government change ka nahi hai, ye conspiracy pehle se hai.
SHETTY: Nahi nahi nahi, February mein anticipation tha na Sir.
SINGH: Kya?
SHETTY: Ki change hoga government. Kyun ki CBI kay paas toh saara data hota hi hai. Upper rungs mein wo to information hoti hi hai.
SINGH: Ye government kay chakkar mein nahi padte. Ye sab paise kay rakshas hain. Ye government se nahi, ye toh mantriyo se paise lete hai. Kya samajhtey ho inko? Government se nahi darte ye log.
In this part of the conversation, Sandeep asks Singh, “Did you not show them the facts?” Singh responds, “I told them about the facts for two hours. The special director spoke to me angrily and asked me how was I talking so much and that I had introduced the land angle (into the case) and that I was prolonging it. So I said I should be given an opportunity to speak and then I lectured them for two hours. I had made a big power point presentation and spent Rs2,000 from my own pocket. They didn’t even see the presentation. This was in February. When I sensed something was wrong, I wrote a proposal to arrest (the accused) but we don’t have any value.”
SHETTY: Apna kya strategy hona chahiye? Main abhi bhi confused hun.
SINGH: Wait karo thoda sa, wait karo.
SHETTY: Kal mera bhai se baat hua mere, woh thoda jittery tha. Keh raha tha ye sab kaha pey ja raha hai. Woh bola ki tu khud ko risk mein kyun daal raha hai? Maine kaha usse baat risk ki nahi hai. Aadmi ko aaj bhi marna hai, kal bhi marna hi hai. Agar ye level pey ho raha hai sab, toh hum bhi khadey honge. Kya hoga, maar denge na?
SINGH: Koi kisi ko maar nahi sakta.
SHETTY: Apka, yaane Sinha saab kay sath hi hua tha.
SINGH: Haan Sinha, dono Sinha hi hai.
SHETTY: Yaane special director bhi Sinha hai?
SINGH: Haan, Anil Sinha aur Ranjit Sinha.
SHETTY: Toh aapne tabhi facts nahi bataye unko ki, ye sab material.
SINGH: Facts do ghanta, woh jo special director hai, woh toh mujh pey itna chhadh gaya. Tum kaise bol rahey ho, zameen ka bhi le liya, tum badhtey hi ja rahe ho. Toh maine bola ki mujhey suna jaay. Phir maine unko do ghanta lecture diya. Itna mota power point presentation le ke gaya tha. 2,000 apni jeb se kharcha kiya tha.
SHETTY: PPT banaya tha?
SINGH: Poora coloured bana kay le gaya tha, dekho itna bada, ye uske liye hi le gaya tha. PPT toh usne dekha hi nahi. Dekho yahan bhi likha hua, main kisi se luka-chupi nahi khelta. Mera kaam hamesha open and shut hota hai. Isme bhi last mein likha ki ye karna hai. Ye February ki baat hai. Jaise hi maine dekha ki kuch gadbad hai, maine aate hi likh kay proposal de diya.
SHETTY: Haan arrest ka.
SINGH: Tondi ka toh kuch value hi nahi hai.
Finally, Sandeep asks Singh, “Can the IRB guy (Mhaiskar) approach higher-ups (of CBI) without political support?” Singh responds, “The day director (Ranjit Sinha) came, he (Mhaiskar) met with him. Why are you only talking about political support?” Sandeep then asks, “He (Mhaiskar) met the director?” “Yes, back then,” responds Singh. Sandeep asks again, “He (Mhaiskar) met the special director?” Singh responds, “The director, the director,” referring to Ranjit Sinha.
SHETTY: Nahi par sir, ye banda upper tak ja sakta hai kya? Bina political support kay? IRB wala.
SINGH: Ye jaise hi director aaya, tabhi jakay mila aaya tha. Tum kya sirf political political karte ho?
SHETTY; Director ko mila aaya thaa?
SINGH: Tabhi mila aaya thaa?
SHETTY: Yaane aap ke paas uska hai record?
SINGH: Mujhay maloom hai that is a fact.
SHETTY: Yaane Virendra Mhaiskar khud mila aaya? Special director ko?
SINGH: Director ko.