Ranjan, Siwan bureau chief of Hindi newspaper Hindustan, was murdered on May 13, 2016 by unknown assailants.
It is suspected that the contract to kill Ranjan was allegedly given by Laddan Mian to two sharpshooters, CBI sources said.
The sources said Laddan Mian is considered close to politicians, including Shahabuddin.
The agency has already examined a number of suspects in the case and has now sought the permission to examine Shahabuddin who is currently lodged in Tihar prison here in a separate case.
Also Read
The CBI sources said they had taken over the investigation in the murder case which has been registered under the IPC sections related to criminal conspiracy, murder and arms act.
According to the rules, the CBI takes over the same FIR which has been registered by the state police.
However, the sources said, the investigation of the agency is completely free and it may arrive at any conclusion which may or may not be in concurrence with the state police.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content