The CBI’s special crime branch (SCB) in Chennai has officially taken over the investigation of the Sowjanya rape and murder case.
Sowjanya, a 17-year-old student of SDM College in Ujire, was found raped and murdered at Pangala near Dharmasthala on October 9, 2012.
State CID sleuths, appearing before the VI Additional District and Sessions Judge, submitted an application on Friday and declared that the CBI SCB will now be theinvestigating agency in the case, sources told Express.
“CBI SCB DySP Rajagopalan, the investigating officer in the Soujanya case, had collected CDs, files and documents related to the case about a week ago,” a CID source said.
In November, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, responding to widespread criticism against the CID’s preliminary report on the case, had promised to entrust the case to the CBI. On November 6, the government issued a ‘notification of consent’ under Section 6 of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946. The final hurdle was cleared after the Central government gave its approval and issued a notification under Section 5 of the Act.
Soujanya’s father Chandappa Gowda said all he wanted was the truth behind his daughter’s murder. “As the CBI has a reputation of getting to the bottom of cases, I hope it comes out with the details soon,” he said.
