Thaindian News

Jodhpur, Jan 2 (IANS) A court here Monday remanded to judicial custody till Jan 16 Congress legislator Malkhan Singh Bishnoi, arrested in the case of missing nurse Bhanwari Devi, officials said.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) presented him in the court of an additional chief judicial magistrate at the end of his remand period.

The legislator from Luni constituency was arrested Dec 19 by the CBI after questioning. He was then remanded in CBI custody till Jan 2.

“He has been quizzed for 14 days and CBI has got some clinching evidence,” a source in the CBI told IANS.

Bishnoi is alleged to have been close to the nurse, who is untraceable since Sep 1 and is feared dead.

Bishnoi was suspended from the primary membership of the Congress a day after he was arrested.

Meanwhile, another suspect, Sahiram Bishnoi, was also brought before the same court and was remanded in CBI custody till Jan 6.

Sahiram Bishnoi is accused of hiring Shahabuddin, Sohan Lal and Baldev Jaat alias Balia to kidnap Bhanwari on Sep 1 at the behest of sacked Rajasthan minister Mahipal Maderna.

CBI Monday continued to quiz Maderna’s wife Leela Maderna. She was summoned to the Jodhpur Circuit House where CBI officials interrogated her.

Aformer minister and legislator, Maderna who allegedly featured in a CD in a compromising position with the nurse, was also suspended from the primary membership of the Congress over his alleged role in the case. He too was arrested by the CBI Dec 3.

It was alleged that he involved Sahiram Bishnoi, a small-time politician from Jodhpur, for the job.

The CBI has arrested the three alleged kidnappers Shahabuddin, Sohan Lal Bishnoi and Baldev Jaat, Omprakash Bishnoi, Sahiram Bishnoi, his friend Umesharam Bishnoi, Bhanwari’s husband Amarchand and Malkhan’s brother Parasram Bishnoi in the case.

The CBI is also carrying out raids in search of Malkhan’s sister Indra Bishnoi.

The CBI had Sunday carried out an aerial survey of Jadol area in the Jodhopur rural suspecting that the nurse’s body was buried in the ground somewhere there. Some special devices were used to trace the body. The area was videographed using helicopter.

Sources said that CBI might get be successful soon in finding the body.