Bhopal:
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today arrested Bhopal-based architect Zayeda Pervez in connection with the murder of Right To Information (RTI) activist Shehla Masood.
Ms Pervez has been arrested for her alleged involvement in the conspiracy to kill the activist. "Pervez is at present in CBI custody and it is believed that she had some personal rivalry with the RTI activist," said an official. Another person, understood to have been hired by Ms Pervez to kill the activist, was also arrested by the CBI. Both the accused will be presented before the designated court at Bhopal tomorrow.
Ms Masood, who was also the Madhya Pradesh chapter head of India Against Corruption, was shot dead in August last year inside her car at her home in the Koh-e-Fiza area of Bhopal. The CBI took over the investigations into the case 18 days after her death.
Ms Pervez had reportedly told the CBI that she had had developed a deep, personal enmity with Ms Masood and hired a contract killer to eliminate her. According to sources in the CBI, the murder was an outcome of an extra-marital affair.
In her last interview, Ms Masood had accused BJP's state unit Vice President Anil Dave, Public Information officer Aruna Roy, BJP MLA Vishwas Sarang and IG Pawan Shrivastava of threatening her over her RTI applications. All of them have denied this.
The CBI had, during its probe, discovered that the activist's cellphone had been used to make at least four calls after she was murdered. It later turned out that the local police team which was investigating the case had made the calls.
Ms Masood's family had received an anonymous letter saying that the phone, laptop and her other possessions were in the custody of the police team. The letter said that copies of the contents of her laptop had been shared with Inspector General Pawan Srivastava and others against whom she had filed an RTI application.