Thaindian News

Jodhpur, Dec 15 (IANS) Amarchand, the husband of missing nurse Bhanwari Devi, has been accused of being part of the conspiracy behind the disappearance of his wife since Sep 1, sources said Thursday.

A leader of Amarchand’s community made the same allegations.

Amarchand was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Dec 8 after he failed to give satisfactory answers to some persistent questioning by the investigating agency.

“Amarchand revealed before the CBI that he had been paid money by local contractor Sohan Lal Bishnoi for giving misleading facts to police about her wife’s disappearance,” a Dalit community leader, Chatura Deshbandhu told a local television channel here on Thursday. Sohan Lal has also been arrested in the case.

Deshbandhu claimed that Amarchand and he was quizzed face-to-face by the CBI Thursday.

“During interrogation, Amarchand confessed in front of me that he was party in the abduction and was paid money,” said Deshbandhu. Amarchand comes from the same community and was known to Deshbandhu.

The community leader had helped Amarchand raise his voice against alleged police inaction immediately after the nurse’s disappearance Sep 1.

Amarchand had accused sacked Rajasthan minister Mahipal Maderna of being involved in his wife’s disappearance. Maderna allegedly features on a CD in a compromising position with the nurse.

He allegedly escaped from a circuit house in Jodhpur where he was being interrogation by CBI officials Dec 7. The CBI, with the help of police, launched a massive hunt and traced him in two hours.

According to sources, Amarchand tried to flee as he was unable to reply to some tough questions. It is suspected that Amarchand was aware of the conspiracy behind the disappearance of his wife.

He claimed his wife was abducted at the behest of Maderna, who has been arrested by the CBI.

Amarchand’s arrest had come as a big surprise as he was the first person to approach a court and register a complaint of his wife’s alleged rape, murder and abduction against Maderna. Bhanwari Devi has remained absent from duty since Aug 25. A missing person complaint was lodged by her husband Sep 1. The complaint was then turned into a kidnapping case.

The CBI Thursday submitted another status report on the probe conducted so far into the case before the Rajasthan High Court.

The hearing in a petition filed by Amarchand before his arrest was conducted in a closed chamber. The agency is believed to have apprised the court of many new leads in the case.

The court has fixed Jan 10 as the next date of hearing.