Shehla Masood murder: CBI in tight spot over MLA's role

BHOPAL: The Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) sleuths are in a dilemma over zeroing in on Dhruv Narayan Singh, the BJP MLA from Bhopal, in connection with the murder of RTI activist Shehla Masood. The agency has not yet been able to get an evidence establishing his involvement, sources privy to the investigation agency, said.
Though, CBI still suspect Dhruv's role and has not given him a clean chit yet, the agency is finding it tough to nail the legislator even after grilling him thrice and subjecting him to lie detector test, which turned out to be futile, they added.
Investigators once toed the line that Dhruv, who is close to the alleged conspirator Zaheda Pervez, too might have nursed a grudge against Shehla and joined hands with the accused after the activist came close to another BJP leader. The CBI had questioned him in this connection.
However, the move did not yield any substantial result as Dhruv told the investigators, that he was aware about the slain activist's closeness with another BJP leader and he found nothing wrong in it. He in fact told the agency that he doesn't have an intimate relation with any woman, they said. CBI sleuths had examined in detail a diary, seized from the possession of Zaheda Parvez, searching for clues. Though the diary has an explicit and narrative account of their intimacy it does not contain any mention of his role and motive in the murder case, they claimed.
Besides, the CBI had retrieved more than 5000 SMS text deleted from local interior designer Zaheda's mobile phone, it couldn't get any information to establish Dhruv's motive in the murder case, they said.
Investigators had asked Zaheda and her friend Saba Farooqui about Dhruv's involvement in the case, but the duo did not give any information. Zaheda had told investigators that she had a deep affection towards Dhurv for long.
Both the women accused in the case didn't even go through the polygraph test, even after agreeing to it in the court.
Meanwhile, Delhi CBI special crime - cell III, T Rajah Balaji is heading a special team exclusively to probe the role of the MLA, if any, in the case. The CBI has to file the charge-sheet next month.
Activist Shehla Masood was shot dead near her residence at Koh-e-Fiza on August 16 last year.
According to investigations underway in the case, Zaheda with the help of local history-sheeter Saqib Ali alias Danger hired Kanpur based sharp-shooters Irfan and Tabish to kill Shehla as she was jealous of the activist's closeness with the MLA. Zaheda her friends Danger, Saba and shooters Irfan and Tabish are in judicial custody.