Phone recovery rings alarm bells

The recovery of Aarushi Talwar’s mobile phone 16 months after her murder has raised more questions on the conduct of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The 14-year-old daughter of a Noida doctor couple was murdered in her house along with a servant. This is the second major issue in the case cropping up in recent days, raising doubts if the CBI’s conduct has been above board.

First, the vaginal swabs of Aarushi that were sent to the Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics in Hyderabad were of another woman. The CBI continued to sit on the startling finding without significant action for eight months.

Second, the CBI had claimed last year that Aarushi’s phone had been destroyed and could not be recovered. Both facts raise serious questions on whether the CBI was party to a cover-up.

A senior police officer, who was part of the Noida police team that investigated the case before it was transferred to the CBI, said the agency had failed to bring the culprits to justice. “The CBI committed a serious blunder by declaring the mobile was destroyed. This shows a serious error of judgment,” he said.