CBI accused of foul play in Nithari probe

New Delhi: The Nithari serial killing case took a curious turn on Thursday after a kin of one of the victims moved the Supreme Court, alleging that the CBI Director used to threaten them not to produce any evidence they had aganist Maninder Singh Pandher in the court.

Pandher's house in Noida was the site of the serial killings, but so far he has been charged only in one of the 19 cases.

In several chargesheets filed before the CBI court in Ghaziabad, the CBI had said that Pandher had no knowledge that Koli had raped and murdered children in his bungalow.

However, he was later charged for the rape and murder of Payal, who was allegedly a call girl and whose disappearance led police to buried bodies near the businessman's bungalow in Nithari.

Vandana Sarkar, whose daughter Pinky Sarkar was one of the Nithari victims, alleged that the Central investigating agency was trying to shield Pandher, who is one of the key accused in the case. Pinky was allegedly raped and murdered by Pandher and his servant Surinder Singh Koli at the Nithari house.

The Supreme Court issued a notice to the CBI on the basis of the petition.

Vandana also sought a direction from the apex court to the Union government and the states of UP and West Bengal to grant police protection to her and family members of others whose children were murdered in the serial killings that shocked the collective conscience of the nation.

Vandana's husband Jatin Sarkar was murdered recently under mysterious circumstances. Vandana claimed in the SC that her husband was in possession of the 'confessional' statement of Pandher and that he was murdered to protect the guilty from being convicted.

Pandher and Surender Koli, his domestic help, were arrested in December 2006 for the murders of at least 19 children, but later the CBI absolved the businessman, saying Koli has confessed to the murders, which occurred when Pandher was out of the bungalow.

(For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest)