DNA not recovered,missing designer case hits roadblock

Kanpur police have now ordered a fresh probe and Kalyanpur SO Somdutt Sharma has been appointed the investigating officer.

Rawat said,“Some chemical had been poured into the bag recovered from IIT-K. It is possible that it damaged them to the extent that a DNA test could not be carried out.”

The bag with a human skull and 16 bones was found when workers were clearing the wild growth on the campus on August 23 last year.

Bajpai,a resident of Mumbai,had come to Kanpur on August 10 to meet his relatives,after which he went missing. Following a complaint by his family,a case was registered on August 13. Tracking Bajpai’s cellphone records,the police found that he was present near IIT-K on August 10 evening.

In October 2008,the case was converted into a case of kidnapping and the probe was transferred from Moolganj to Kalyanpur police station. The skull and bones,along with blood samples of Bajpai’s father Surya Kumar Bajpai,were sent to the CDFD.

Bajpai’s cousin,Vivek Trivedi,said the fashion designer had gone to IIT-K to meet Rahul Verma,a friend he had met through a social networking site. Trivedi said,“Late on August 10,I dropped Aadesh at Moolganj Chauraha,from where he left for IIT-K with Rahul. Aadesh said he will be back next morning.”

Bajpai was never seen after that. Verma denied that he had met him or even knew him.

Surya Kumar Bajpai strongly believes that the skull and bones found on the IIT-K campus were that of his son.

“More than 10 months have passed,the police are yet to make any breakthrough. If the bones and skull are not of my son,where has he been for the last 10 months? he asked.

Investigating officer Somdutt Sharma said,“Whether the bones and skull were of Bajpai or not is yet to be ascertained.” The Kalyanpur police had questioned Verma and if required,he will questioned again,he added.