CBI to grill police in missing case

JAMSHEDPUR: A four-member team of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday visited Vijaya Gardens, Birsanagar, for the second time in two days to probe into the case of Ranjan Bhattacharya, who has been missing for the past two years.
The CBI team, which is investigating the case on the directive of the Jharkhand high court, is being led by superintendent R C Chaudhary.
Bhattacharya (35) has gone missing after his name figured in a case involving serial killing of doctors in the city in late 2009 and early 2010.
Following the high court's order on November 19 this year asking the CBI to take over Bhattacharya's disappearance case after the state police failed to trace him, the victim's family expressed hope that his whereabouts would now be ascertained.
"It is too early to say anything but we are hopeful that the CBI will help us find out my missing brother," said Rajat Bhattacharya.
On January 25, 2010, Bhattacharya, an employee of a private insurance firm, left for work around 10.30am and never returned. His kin claimed that two armed youths kidnapped Ranjan.
The CBI said all agencies and officials, who were in office at the time of Bhattacharya's disappearance, would be questioned.
Asked whether senior police officers of the district will be questioned in Bhattacharya's missing case, the CBI officer said, "Whatever will be required to unravel the truth will be done." He, however, refused to indicate anything on the basis of preliminary investigation. "It's premature to conclude on the basis of preliminary investigation," he added.
Bhattacharya's name cropped up in December 2009 after the murder of Dr Prabhat Kumar, a senior medical officer of the Tata Main Hospital (TMH), allegedly masterminded by Ranjan's colleague Pankaj Dubey who is now in Ghaghidih Central Jail.
Dubey had allegedly formed an amateur gang and recruited shooters. However, the district police have all along feigned ignorance about Bhattacharya's whereabouts and maintained the same stand in the high court.