Bhanwari Devi murder case

On 3 November, as first evidence in the case, the CBI recovered a four-minute audio clip of a conversation between Devi and Indira, the sister of Malkhan Singh Bishnoi.[8] In the clip, the CBI said that Bhanwari is heard speaking to Indira in Marwari language telling her that the politicians had agreed to pay her ₹7 crore in exchange for the CD, out of she would get ₹5 crore and that Sohan Lal Bishnoi would take the rest.[13] She was also heard telling Bishnoi that the contractor Sohan Lal had struck the deal with the alleged Delhi-based high-profile power broker through one Sunil Gurjar and that the payment had already been made. She reiterated that Sohan Lal somehow got hold of duplicate CDs but the original was still with her.[14] It transpired that Gurjar, whom Bhanwari referred to as the middleman between the Delhi-based buyer of the CD who tried to sell the CD, and Sohan Lal, is a relative of Puducherry's former lieutenant governor and minister of Rajasthan Govind Singh Gurjar.[15]

In November 2011, Shahabuddin's girlfriend Rehana leaked the audio clip of her discussion with him in the Jodhpur Central Jail, where he was lodged, in the media. During the discussion, Shahabuddin was reportedly heard telling her that Devi was handed over to the gang of Pradeep Godara, a criminal wanted by the Rajasthan Police in several cases. Shahabuddin was also heard saying that he had been falsely implicated in the case, and did not know what happened to Devi. This was the third audio clip that the CBI had in its possession. During this time, the CBI while interrogating Rehana, also questioned one Lakha Ram and Bhanwari's husband Amarchand. The latter was called to identify the jewellery, reportedly seized by the CBI from a jeweller in Jodhpur. They suspected that it belonged to Devi and that Shahabuddin had sold the jewellery while he was in the city soon after former went missing.[16]

Shahbuddin, who carried a ₹25,000 cash reward on his head, was the first to surrender before the police, on 22 October 2011.[8] During the interrogation of Maderna on 10 November, he confessed to have been in an affair with Devi.[17] The CBI filed its preliminary chargesheet on 2 December.[18] On the same night they arrested Maderna and was brought to Delhi two days later for interrogation.[19] On 8 December, Devi's husband Amarchand was arrested by the CBI after he gave conflicting versions during interrogation while remaining "un-cooperative".[4] On 19 December, Malkhan Singh Bishnoi was arrested.[20] Upon questioning by the CBI, both he and Maderna maintained innocence.[21]

On 4 January 2012, the CBI brought Sahiram Bishnoi face to face with Maderna and two other accused, Sohan Lal Bishnoi and Shahabuddin in the Jodhpur Central Jail.[22][23] On the same day, the police arrested Bishna Ram Bishnoi, another accused in the case, in Pune. He was the eleventh person to be arrested in connection with the case, all of whom maintained their innocence.[24] Kailash Jakhar, who allegedly disposed of her body, was also found following a tip-off and arrested the same day in a major breakthrough as part of the investigation. Jakhar reportedly admitted with the police to have picked up Devi's body from the Bishnois and Shahabuddin in Bilara on 1 September 2011 and disposed her off by burning her remains somewhere in Jaloda, a village near Phalodi, a town in Jodhpur district. Jakhar was reportedly a member of the Bishna Ram Bishnoi gang, which was also then wanted by the CBI and carried a cash reward of ₹5 lakh on his head. The CBI had by then already arrested Bishna Ram's brother Om Prakash Bishnoi.[25]

On 6 January, the CBI claimed to know the whereabouts of disposal of Bhanwari Devi's body.[26] The case was thus cracked by the CBI inside 100 days and were ready to file the final chargesheet by the end of that month.[18] The 12 members arrested till then were:[18]

• Mahipal Maderna
• Malkhan Singh Bishnoi
• Sahiram Bishnoi
• Sohanlal Bishnoi
• Shahabuddin
• Balia
• Bishnaram Bishnoi
• Om Prakash Bishnoi
• Kailash Jakhar
• Parasram Bishnoi, coordinator between the two gangs and Malkhan Singh's brother[27]
• Amarchand, Devi's husband
• Umeshram Bishnoi, an aide of Sahiram Bishnoi

On 17 January 2012, another of Bishnaram's gang, Ashok Bishnoi, who was allegedly involved in the disposal of Devi's body, surrendered before the police.[28]

The 'Operation Watch' was launched to collect evidences in connection to Bhanwari Devi's murder. The Rajasthan Police and the CBI accompanied by forensic experts from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory, were involved in it.[2] While searching for evidence in the Rajeev Gandhi Lift Canal near the village of Jaloda and 100 kilometres (62 mi) from Jodhpur, a cricket bat that was used to hit Bhanwari Devi on the head and two country-made pistols were recovered. The bat was found wrapped in barbed wire, presumably to ensure that it sank to the bottom of the canal.[29][2] Bishna Ram Bishnoi and Kailash Jakhar, both the accused in disposing of Bhawari's body, were taken to the spot, to recreate the scene of the crime.[2] At the end of the four-day search, body remains including part of a skull, five teeth and portions of it, and charred bone fragments; a ladies' wrist watch; jewellery parts such as beads of a necklace, a pendant, an earring, toe ring, nose pin and other broken pieces of jewellery were recovered, apart from a gunny bag and some clothes which reportedly belonged to Jakhar.[30] Valuables belonging to his mother were identified by her son Sahil, and she was subsequently declared dead by the Rajasthan Police.[31]

As the bone fragments and other body parts such as teeth recovered remained unverified if they were Bhanwari Devi's, they were sent to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which held expertise in establishing DNA from the dentures, for verification. Prior to this, in February 2012, forensic experts from the AIIMS submitted a report stating that the bones were that of animals.[32] In June, the FBI confirmed that they belonged to Bhanwari Devi.[30]

In a second charge sheet the CBI projected Malkhan Singh as Bhanwari's onetime partner. Malkhan Singh used her to upstage Maderna but later allied with Maderna to murder her. Malkhan's sister Indira Devi and Bhanwari Devi planned to shoot controversial video to make it public later and malign Maderna.[33] But contrary to Malkhan's plan Bhanwari started to blackmail Malkhan too. Additionally Indira Devi who is absconding acted as a troubleshooter for both leaders while dealing with Bhanwari. Indira interfered whenever Bhanwari threatened to go public about the tape.[34] In the charge sheet against 13 accused, Maderna and Malkhan Singh was charged with murder, abduction, criminal conspiracy and destruction of evidence. Amarchand, Bhanwari's husband charged with criminal conspiracy, destruction of evidence and abduction. But investigation against four persons including absconding Indira Devi are pending. In another revelation CBI said that a DNA test proved that Bhanwari's youngest daughter Gungun was fathered by Malkhan.[35]

The CBI chargesheet in the Bhanwari Devi murder case describes her as a social climber with "big ambitions". Former Rajasthan cabinet minister Mahipal Maderna and Congress MLA Malkhan Singh Bishnoi, both charged with murder, are depicted as men fond of "sura aur sundari" (wine and women).

The chargesheet also mentions that Bhanwari made two video recordings, in different locations, showing Maderna and her in a "compromising position".[35]