‘MLA’s family may be harbouring key lead’

Police suspects that the family of the Doon MLA from Himachal Pradesh,Ram Kumar Chaudhary,has been harbouring a Hoshiarpur resident,Satpal,whom the MLA had earlier blamed for having relations with the 24-year-old Hoshiarpur girl,Jyoti Kumari,who was murdered in November last year. According to police officials,they will be questioning the family members of the MLA on this,even as they have also summoned the wife of the MLA,Nidhi,to investigate her role in influencing the family of the deceased girl to withdraw the case against Chaudhary.

Nearly five months after the death,Satpal has not been traced,even though officials say that he is a key link in the case. “We have no plans to make Satpal an approver in the case as we have enough evidence against the MLA that links him to the murder,” said a senior police official. The official added that the MLA told the police that it was Satpal who was having relations with the girl and he was also from the same area that the girl belonged. Police officials said that the questioning of Satpal,who was employed as a driver by the MLA,could throw up more leads in the investigation that is currently being taken up by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the murder. Police have earlier said that Chaudhary was directly involved in the murder and he and his other associates crushed the girl under a truck,leading to her death.

The investigation in the case is currently focused on the role of the other family members of the MLA in the murder. The wife of the MLA,Nidhi,has been trapped talking to her uncle stating that she could bribe the family to withdraw the case against him. Also,the brother of the MLA,Harbhajan Chaudhary,has talked to the Chartered Accountant of the MLA about the involvement of his brother in the murder case.

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Police officials further add that the MLA’s wife has been given a questionaire that can throw more light on the murder. Police officials said that they can question the MLA’s wife on issues like whether she was aware of the relation between the girl and MLA.

Police officials also add that they are studying the legal implications in the case,pointing out that even as a wife has a right to protect her husband on his involvement in a criminal case,they are investigating whether the role of the wife was restricted to only influencing the family of the deceased girl or whether she also tried to destroy evidence.