Tests find Virendra Tawade ‘deceptive’

A range of forensic psychological and behavioural tests conducted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Dr Virendra Tawade in the Narendra Dabholkar murder case probe had concluded that he was allegedly deceptive in his statements about his knowledge and role in the case.

The tests, which were conducted at a unit of the home ministry’s Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL), had concluded that Tawade was allegedly “hiding” information related to the case. The tests conducted on Tawade included Forensic Psychological Assessment, Behavioural Analysis Interview and Forensic Statement Analysis, which were based on his in-depth oral and written responses. The tests were conducted after the agency arrested him in the case in June this year, said a source who is familiar with the probe’s findings.

While denying any role in the murder case, Tawade allegedly said during the tests that a few emails, which were allegedly exchanged between him and others and whose copies were shown to him, could have been about ‘hathiyaar’ (weapons) but thereafter de-linked himself from them on the grounds that the email account concerned was a commonly-used one and therefore he was unaware about the contents, said the source. “When asked about the emails exchanged with one of the case suspects, he said the email was commonly used by others and therefore he was confused about them,” said the source.

When asked about why he thought the CBI had him under the scanner, Tawade had allegedly responded in a test that it was because of some old emails sent to him by others, according to the source. When asked about who could have targeted Dabholkar, Tawade said he was not involved in the case at all, according to the source. According to the source, Tawade subsequently said that as per a few media reports, the case was allegedly linked to some monetary issue.

The CBI in its case chargesheet, which was recently submitted in a Pune court, named Tawade as an accused, charging him with offences related to criminal conspiracy read with murder. The results of the psychological tests are part of the chargesheet, according to the source.

According to the chargesheet, Tawade had allegedly begun scouring for ‘chocolates’ — a code word for cartridges — and a unit to manufacture country-made firearms in Kolhapur since April 2013, along with two other men who were identified as the Dabholkar case’s absconding suspects. Tawade has so far denied the CBI’s allegations against him.