Journalist murder: CBI scans call details

New Delhi: The CBI, investigating the murder case of Siwan-based journalist Rajdeo Ranjan, has scrutinised call detail records of all arrested accused in the case. Sources said, “The agency has sufficient evidence to prove that certain accused in the case were allegedly in touch with the arrested RJD leader”.

A special CBI court in Muzaffarpur recently named Shahabuddin as the tenth accused in the murder of senior journalist Rajdeo Ranjan. The CBI had argued in the court that it has “enough evidence” to prove that Shahabuddin had played an ‘important’ role in the murder of Siwan-based journalist.

The CBI is also probing the role of  jail officials who allegedly allowed the jailed RJD leader to remain in touch with the prime accused in the case, they added.

Shahabuddin was in jail when the journalist was gunned down in Siwan while he was returning from office on May 13, 2016. Shahabuddin, facing more than 39 criminal cases including those of kidnapping and murder, was transferred to Tihar jail on February 18.

The case was handed over to the CBI in September last year after the slain journalist’s widow Asha Ranjan and his father Radhe Krishna Chaudhary repeatedly alleged that Shahabuddin was behind the murder. The suspicion over Shahbuddin’s involvement had deepened after names of two of his henchmen Mohammad Kaif and Mohammad Javed had surfaced.

“Charge sheet against six accused has already been filed in connection with the case. Two of the accused Mohammad Javed and Kaif are currently on bail and Shahabuddin has been made the tenth accused in the case”, sources said. Local police, that had earlier investigated the case, had claimed that the murder was the result of “premediated conspiracy”. Sources also claimed that the slain journalist had become a big threat for criminals because of his news reports against the deteriorating law and order condition in Siwan.