TNN

Patna, Jun 4: "It's a pure case of kidnapping for murder," said a senior police official about the sensational case of abduction of JD-U leader and contractor Satyendra Kumar Singh from the city last week.

Though police have collected sufficient evidence to prove the complicity of a father-son duo in the case, they are moving cautiously and trying to make a foolproof case before breaking the news of a breakthrough.

As part of this exercise, Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) experts led by its director went to the Jula Niketan apartment in Anandpuri, off west Boring Canal Road, for the second time on Wednesday after police collected information that the crime was committed in the apartment. Since it is a case in which a high profile politician's role is suspected, police don't want to take chances.

"Initially we were treating it as a simple case of a missing person, but we smelt something fishy two-three days after the incident," the cop said. Police investigations then turned to a new direction. "Now we can say that a JD(U) leader and former MP and his son were involved in the crime," he said and added police are just waiting for the FSL report to take the case to its logical conclusion.

As for the motive behind the crime, the officer said money matters appear to be the main reason. He said the former MP's son and Satyendra had been friends and they did money deals as well. On the basis of confessionals of five persons who have given statements under Section 164 CrPC, the officer said the ex-MP's son used to pick fights with Satyendra on money matters. He might have been joined by his father in his bid to teach Satyendra a lesson.

Sources said the FSL experts have collected blood-soaked clothes from Jula Niketan's flat number D-2. "Things are moving in the right direction and everything would be crystal clear in next few days," an FSL expert associated with the probe told TOI on Wednesday.