The Bombay High Court today asked police to submit on January 10 the transcript of telephone talks purportedly held between senior police officers and some accused in the murder of Navi Mumbai builder Sunil Loharia.
The order was passed by a bench headed by Justice P V Hardas which was hearing a PIL, filed by ex-scribe Ketan Tirodkar, praying for transfer of probe to an independent agency such as CBI as the accused were allegedly "shielded".
Tirodkar alleged that there was evidence with the investigating authorities to show that the Navi Mumbai Police Commissioner and a senior police inspector were in touch with the accused before and after the murder of Loharia in February 2013.
The petitioner alleged that the police had in their possession Call Data Records (CDRs) following which the court asked the government pleader to confirm this development.
Government pleader Aruna Kamat-Pai, after taking instructions from the investigating officer, replied in the affirmative.
The Court then asked police to produce transcript of the telephone talks on the next date of hearing on January 10.
To a query by the bench on progress in investigations, Pai replied that statements of senior police officers were yet to be recorded.
She also said steps were being taken to declare absconding accused as proclaimed offenders and attach their properties in order to compel them to appear before the Court.
However, the petitioner said that no such information was put on the websites of Mumbai police and Interpol to trace the absconding accused.
The Court asked the Government pleader to submit on the next occasion, the details about the steps taken to trace the absconding accused.
The petitioner further alleged that rival builder Suresh Bijlani and Architect Anurag Garg, both accused in this case, were spotted by Loharia's son in the police station where he had gone to lodge a complaint. Bijlani has since been arrested while Garg is still absconding.
Senior police inspector had also refused to name these two accused in the FIR, Tirodkar alleged.
