Kanpur couple’s murder: CBI registers case,begins probe

“We have recorded statements of the local residents and are looking into every aspect related to the murders,” said a CBI official.

Lallu Prasad Dixit (65),a farmer from Salempur village,and his wife Savitri Devi (61) were found murdered in their house on July 31 morning in 2006. The couple’s relative,Kamal Kumar Pandey,had lodged a complaint at the Maharajpur police station,which the police later altered the IPC Section to 460 (lurking house- trespass or house- breaking by night causing death or grievous hurt) when the couple’s daughter,Asha Devi,reportedly informed the police about the missing contents from the house,which included cash,jewellery and a licensed rifle.

As the investigation followed and the police failed to trace the accused,the state government,on the family’s request,transferred the case over to the CID,but the latter’s closure report in 2008 forced Asha into filing a petition with the court as she suspected that someone known to her family was behind the murder.

But when the court rejected her petition,she moved the High Court for a CBI inquiry. That petition,too,however,was rejected,according to a CBI official. It was then that Asha filed a Special Leave Petition before the Supreme Court,which was accepted and the CBI was ordered,in October this year,to probe into the case.