Jail sources confirmed that the so-called contract-killer who gave his name as Jasjeet Singh met Sobhraj at least half a dozen times. A separate register kept at the jail for Sobhraj´s visitors shows that visitor-chits had been issued in Singh´s name 10 times since the first week of February.
“Cops and inmates who noticed their meetings corroborated Singh´s claim to have met Sobhraj, who in turn conceded entertaining the former as a well-wisher,” said jail officials requested anonymity. [break]
Meanwhile, Police on Friday called on Sobhraj´s counsel Shakuntala Thapa for her statement in connection with the purported meetings of her client with the Indian gunman. “She denied knowing Singh,” officials said.
Sobhraj even told jail officials that he wondered why the Indian met him frequently. “But we know Charles is not a criminal with an ordinary mind. We doubt his statements,” said officials.
Officials said the plainclothes cops deputized to monitor visitors and inmates in the visiting lounge reported that both Sobhraj and Singh would talk in English and mention words like phone and emails.
Police did not offer any comment in this connection. They said Singh could not have met Sobhraj at all and pretended to be out to meet him just to study Ansari´s movements.
Singh bluffs investigators
The Indian gunman has been bluffing investigative officials, repeatedly changing his statement. He spent last night talking what officials call ´complete rubbish´. “He even said an Indian film director directed him to kill Ansari,” an official said.
Singh, who was arrested after shooting Ansari in the jail visiting lounge Thursday morning, had initially said that one Ali Addakchhya had employed him to shoot and kill Ansari for a sum of Indian rupees 1.5 million and two other Indians had arranged everything for his month-long stay in the capital.
Lead from Jamim Shah Murder
Investigative officials said they have obtained a lead from the murder of media baron Jamim Shah last year. “It will be premature to elaborate,” they added.
Officials also said they were trying to verify with their Indian counterparts the authenticity of an Indian voter ID found in rented quarters at Bode used by Singh.
Fifty cops transferred
Fifty cops have been transferred from Central Jail in the wake of the shooting incident there.
“The transferred cops rank up to sub-inspector,” said SSP Madhav Nepal, spokesman of Metropolitan Police Commissioner´s Office. “They are also the ones who have served in the jail for a long time.”
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