In a major breakthrough, the police on Saturday claimed to have recovered the service revolver of slain Kunda Circle Officer Zia-ul-Haque.
Additional Superintendent of Police, Pratapgarh, Asaram Yadav while confirming that the pistol has been found, refused to elaborate from where or whom it was recovered.
This is the second success that the CBI and police have achieved today, as this morning two main accused in the murder of Balipur village head, which had triggered violence leading to the killing of the DSP, surrendered before the CBI in Pratapgarh.
Kamta Prasad Pal and his son Ajay Kumar Pal, named in the FIR filed in the murder of gram pradhan Nanhe Yadav, surrendered before the CBI at their camp office in Kunda and are being interrogated, CBI sources said.
Meanwhile, a team of CBI officials today visited CMO office in Pratapgarh to study the post mortem reports of the circle officer and Suresh Yadav, the brother of the gram pradhan who was also killed on the fateful night of March 2.
Sources in the CBI said that the team is also trying to ascertain whether the bullet that killed the circle officer was fired from a pistol or rifle.
This is the third visit of the CBI team to the CMO office ever since they took over probe in the case.
With today's surrender, three of the four accused named in the pradhan's murder case are in the net, sources said, adding that only one accused, Ajit Kumar Singh, is yet to be nabbed.
Yesterday, CBI had taken two others, said to be close aides of independent MLA Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya, to the spot of the crime and quizzed them.
Sanjeev Pratap Singh alias Guddu Singh and Rajeev Pratap alias Raju Singh, who are on police remand, were taken to the spot in connection with the investigation by the agency, sources said.
The CBI is probing killing of DSP Zia-ul-Haq, village head Nanhe Yadav and his brother Suresh in Balipur village on March 2.
Meanwhile, a CBI team also visited the house of the brother-in-law of the slain village head in Sangrampur village of Nawabganj police station area in Pratapgarh.
Sources said that a four-member team went to the house of Kamlendra Yadav and questioned the relatives.
