15 years after Aarushi Talwar's murder, lingering mystery & trail of police lapses

New Delhi, Jan 13 (IANS) Fourteen-year-old school student Aarushi Talwar was found dead in her bedroom, with her throat slit and head bludgeoned, at her Noida home on May 16, 2008.

Initially, the Talwar family's live-in servant, Hemraj, bore the brunt of suspicion as the prime suspect until his body, bearing identical injury marks, was found a day later in a pool of blood after two days.

Law enforcement, entertaining the possibility of an honour killing, starting scrutinising Aarushi's parents. Despite their suspicions, no evidence or forensic findings substantiated this theory.

Rajesh and Nupur Talwar, Aarushi's parents, underwent lie detector and narco tests as the police attempted to unravel the perplexing circumstances surrounding the murders.

Following the Allahabad High Court's exoneration of Aarushi's parents in 2017, the lingering mystery revolves around the identity of her murderer.

Another perplexing aspect is whether the case is genuinely so intricate that neither the Uttar Pradesh Police, nor two CBI teams could unravel it.

While the CBI has a reputation for successfully resolving some of the world's most challenging cases, the High Court, in this instance, raised doubts about the efficacy of the investigation.

As per experts, the case, often described as a classic whodunit, has exposed glaring inadequacies in the investigative and judicial systems.

The local police's initial handling of the crime scene was marred by amateur moves, with family members and neighbours contaminating crucial evidence before the authorities arrived. The Noida police's failure to discover the body of the Talwars' domestic help, Hemraj, on the terrace only compounded the investigative blunders.

Post-mortem and forensic reports also raised more questions than answers, adding confusion to an already complex case.

A startling revelation that has comes to light is that the Noida police was so unfocused on the morning of May 16, 2008, because of then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to the NCR town. This distraction left lower-ranking officers at the crime scene, which could have botched up a proper probe.

When the call came in regarding the killing of the daughter of a doctor couple in Jal Vayu Vihar, located in Noida's Sector 25, only the officer in charge of the local police outpost and one or two constables reached the location.

In the midst of all this, fundamental policing procedures were overlooked.

“Aarushi's residence was initially not searched, and the surrounding areas were not thoroughly examined. The assumption that their domestic servant, Hemraj, was the culprit arose due to his absence. To locate him, a police team was dispatched not only to Noida and Delhi but also as far as Nepal,” said Anil Mittal, a former Delhi Police officer.

“Had the Uttar Pradesh police maintained separate teams for law and order and investigation, the unit arriving on the morning of May 16, 2008, could have focused exclusively on the murder inquiry without concerns about VIP duty,” he said.

“This approach would have likely led to the discovery of alcohol bottles, beedis, a cold drink, and three used glasses in Hemraj's room on the same day, indicating that he had visitors,” said another retired police official, who did not wish to be named.

“Additionally, an inspection of the kitchen might have revealed Hemraj's untouched dinner, later confirmed by postmortem reports, suggesting he had not eaten on the night of the incident. The presence of untouched dinner and the empty glasses and alcohol bottles could have raised significant questions about his alleged involvement in a conspiracy."

“Furthermore, the use of a dog unit might have directed investigators to the roof of the Talwar's house, where Hemraj's body was eventually found. The blood on the stair railings leading to the roof could have been easily traced by trained dogs, providing crucial leads,” said the experts.

In November 2013, a special CBI court in Ghaziabad found Rajesh and Nupur Talwar guilty of the murders, resulting in a life imprisonment sentence for the dentist couple.

However, in October 2017, the Allahabad High Court overturned the CBI court's ruling, leading to the release of the Talwars.