Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik has ordered the re-investigation of high-profile Sunanda Pushkar murder case all over again. Patnaik has assigned a four-member team, formed to prepare a report on plea of hotel the leela Palace for court's permission to de-seal its room number 345 where Congress leader and then Union Minister Shashi Tharoor's wife was found dead, for the fresh investigation.
A senior police official said that re-investigation has been ordered after some evidence has been found in the case which needs to be investigated further in order to get leads in the case.
The team, under the supervision of Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), south district, also consists of two Station House Officers (SHOs) and one senior inspector. “The officers were in the initial probe team of the case but were later removed and transferred,” said a police source.
“DCP south district Ishwar Singh will head the team of Station House Officer (SHO) Kotla Mubarakpur Police Station Veer Kishan Pal Singh Yadav, SHO lodhi Colony Police Station Ravi Shankar, and Inspector Anti-Terrorist Operations (ATO) of Sarojini Nagar Police Station Pradeep Rawat,” the source said.
Incidentally Veer Kishan Pal Singh Yadav was the SHO of Sarojini Nagar police station when Sunanda Pushkar was found dead under mysterious circumstances but was moved out of the police station.
“The team will start re-investigating the entire murder case all over again,” the source further added.
The Police Commissioner had earlier ordered the team to file a report on the pending investigation in room number 345 of The leela Palace following hotel's plea before a Delhi court seeking permission to de-seal the room for commercial use again. The plea came amid fresh allegation that Pushkar's body was shifted from room number 307 to 345.
The team has to prepare the report before July 14, the next date of hearing in this case before the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Dr Pankaj Sharma.
In its plea, the hotel management has stated that it has on previous occasions approached the Delhi Police for their assistance in de-sealing the suite. However, their efforts went in vain.
“The investigating agency involved, including multiple forensic teams, have visited the suite and collected requisite samples on numerous occasions. But it is pertinent to note that since one year, no investigating agency has visited the suite and therefore the suite is not required to be kept sealed any longer,” the hotel said in its application.
It further claimed that there are 17 suites in the entire hotel. The cost of these suites ranges from Rs 55,000 to Rs 61,000 per night, depending on the season. But the hotel's inability to offer the suite number 345 to its patrons in the last three years has incurred a loss of approximately Rs 50 lakh.
On January 17 2014, Pushkar, wife of Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, was found dead under mysterious circumstances at room number 345 of The leela Palace hotel in Chanakyapuri, a day after she had a spat on Twitter with Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarar. On January 16, Pushkar had tweeted some material that hinted a possible romantic liaison between Tharoor and Tarar. The Delhi Police had questioned Tharoor reportedly over sixty times in connection with the case.
The police has also conducted polygraph test on six people after getting court permission but failed to get any lead in the case.