Jodhpur:
In a significant development in the case of the disappearance of Bhanwari Devi, a nurse in Rajasthan, the vehicle in which she was allegedly abducted has been found.
The Bolero jeep, found near Palanpur in the Banaskantha district of Gujarat bordering Rajasthan, reportedly belongs to Shahabuddin, a key accused in the case and who allegedly executed the conspiracy that led to Ms Devi's disappearance.
36-year-old Devi, who was posted as an auxiliary nurse midwife, went missing near Jodhpur on September 1. Her husband, Amarchand Nat, alleged that she was kidnapped at the behest of Water Resources Minister Mahipal Maderna and his associates. The minister allegedly had an affair with the missing nurse, proof of which was contained in a CD that showed him caught in a compromising position with her. He has since been charged with kidnapping, rape and murder. But he has refuted all the charges levelled against him.
Shahabuddin, meanwhile, had called Bhanwari Devi 69 times in the six days before she went missing. The police though are yet to clarify why and on whose instructions did he kidnap her.
The Jodhpur police also received an anonymous letter on Friday that claims that Bhanwari Devi is alive and is being held hostage by an influential politician in Haryana. Its sender has not disclosed his/her identity but claimed that he/she was "very close" to the people who planned Devi's abduction.
The police have annexed this letter into their file to be submitted to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which has been handed over the probe into the case.