R K Sharma remains elusive, raids continue

NEW DELHI: Delhi Police teams raided several places in Himachal Pradesh in search of senior IPS officer R K Sharma, prime suspect in the journalist Shivani Bhatnagar murder case, but failed to nab him.
The raids were conducted in Una after he was sighted there having dinner at a place on Tuesday, police sources here said.
However, by the time Delhi Police teams reached there, Sharma, the IGP (Prison) of Haryana, had gone away, they said.
Raids were conducted also in Solan district of Himachal.
The sources said Sharma left his residence in Panchkula near Chandigarh on August 2 along with his lawyer in a car and efforts were on to locate the vehicle''s owner.
Delhi Police suspects that Sharma may have abandoned the vehicle.
Sharma is believed to be either in Haryana or Himachal Pradesh and raids were being conducted at suspected places in the two states, the sources said.
Progress has also been made in locating another accused Satya Prakash, they said.
Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) U K Katna said police teams were being sent to any place about which the presence of Sharma or Satya Prakash was suspected. Katna denied allegations that the announcement for a reward on Sharma''s arrest was "hasty" and said it was made after a "reasonable time".
After groping in the dark for nearly a week, Delhi Police got a non-bailable warrant (NBW) issued against Sharma from a court here and declared a reward of Rs 50,000 for anyone providing "useful clue leading to his arrest".
He also denied allegations by Sharma''s wife Madhu that Delhi Police was framing him at the behest of Home Ministry, saying "nobody in the Home Ministry has contacted me".
A NBW was also issued against Satya Prakash and the same reward announced for him too. Katna warned anybody harbouring Sharma would face "penal action". Haryana government has already cancelled Sharma''s leave at the request of Delhi Police.
Katna said the finger prints lifted from the flat of Shivani and those of Pradeep, who allegedly confessed to have murdered her on January 23, 1999, had been sent for forensic examination and the report was awaited.
The portrait of an unidentified person, who also is believed to have participated in the commission of crime, was being drawn on the basis of details provided by Pradeep and Sri Bhagwan.