Prayagraj, Mar 17 (IANS): It has been exactly 21 days since Umesh Pal, a witness in the 2005 MLA Raju Pal murder case, was shot dead in Prayagraj along with his two gunmen.

More than 100 people have been questioned, 1,000 cellphones active in the area at the time of the incident have been scanned and an undisclosed number of persons have been detained.

Of the seen shooters involved in the killing of Umesh Pal, two of them - Arbaz and Usman -have been killed in encounters.

However, the five other shooters remain out of police's reach even though the local cops and the Special Task Force officials claim to have 'vital leads' about the whereabouts of the shooters.

Most of the leads picked up by the investigators, including the STF, have led the cops to dead ends.

A senior police officer said, "The shooters are constantly on the move and have apparently stopped using mobile phones."

Teams of Commissionerate Prayagraj and STF have launched 'target' oriented operations to track and arrest the assailants, conspirators and underground supporters.

However, the cops have not managed to make any major breakthrough in the case.

Moreover, cops have also failed to extract any crucial information from the close associates of the gang and relatives of the absconders so far about their whereabouts.

"We have tracked out the possible hideouts of the absconders, including Shaista Parveen, wife of Atiq Ahmed and carrying Rs 25,000 cash reward on her head, but have failed to arrest her so far," said an official.