CBI to question Shahabuddin, co-accused together

THE ASIAN AGE. | PRAMOD KUMAR

Published : May 31, 2017, 2:01 am IST

Updated : May 31, 2017, 2:01 am IST

Ranjan was gunned down on May 13 last year and his wife accused Shahabuddin of having a role in the killing.

New Delhi: The CBI is all set to confront RJD leader Mohammad Shahabuddin with an arrested accused Sonu Kumar Soni during the former’s interrogation as part of its investigation into the murder case of Siwan-based journalist Rajdeo Ranjan. Shahabuddin is currently in CBI custody and is being interrogated by the agency sleuths.

The CBI had re-registered the case after taking it over from Siwan (Bihar) police last year. The agency has already chargesheeted Sonu in this case. The agency had filed the first chargesheet in December 2016 against shooter Rohit and Sonu, who were allegedly present at the murder spot. It is suspected the contract to kill Ranjan was allegedly given by Laddan Mian to two sharpshooters, sources said. Sources further said Laddan Mian is considered close to politicians, including Shahabuddin. The agency will soon confront the RJD leader with Sonu during questioning, they added.

The CBI on Monday took custody of Shahabuddin in the murder case of Siwan-based Journalist. The RJD leader is brought to the agency headquarters here for questioning. The CBI recently told a Muzaffarpur court Shahabuddin’s name surfaced as an accused and ‘it needs his custodial interrogation’.

The four-time RJD MP from Siwan is alleged to have been involved in the murder of Ranjan, a journalist of a prominent Hindi daily in Siwan last year. If required, he may be subjected to the lie-detection test also, sources said adding that the agency has “enough evidence” to prove that Shahabuddin had played an “important” role in the murder of the journalist.

The former RJD MP was lodged in the high security Tihar jail in Delhi. The RJD leader is facing trial in more than 45 criminal cases and was moved to Tihar Jail in February this year on a Supreme Court order on a plea by Siwan native Chandrakeshwar Prasad, whose three sons were killed in two separate incidents. Ranjan was gunned down on May 13 last year and his wife accused Shahabuddin of having a role in the killing. The former RJD MP on May 26 named as the tenth accused in the murder case of journalist by the CBI.