The signature of Vishal Jangotra, an accused in the rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Kathua in January, does not match the one which he claimed to have signed in an exam attendance sheet in Meerut to claim he was not at the crime scene, according to a report of forensic experts.
The report by the Central Forensic Sciences Laboratory (CFSL), detailing this conclusion, has been submitted to the crime branch of Jammu and Kashmir police, according to officials in the investigation team.
The crime branch, meanwhile, issued notices to all the three friends of Vishal Jangotra for appearing before it for questioning on Monday after the Supreme Court gave a go-ahead on May 17 for their further examination.
The officials said the report has stated that Vishal Jangotra had not put the signature on the attendance sheet and it was done by someone else.
Vishal Jangotra, one of the eight accused arrested in the case for raping and murdering the girl from the minority nomadic community, had claimed that he was in Meerut and had never visited Kathua when the crime was committed. He had also told the investigators that he had signed the attendance sheet before the examination on January 15.
The crime branch had sent the attendance sheet to CFSL for having an opinion as the probe indicated that the signatures appeared to have been made by some friend of Vishal as his train from Jammu to Meerut was late and he had reached Meerut after the examination was over, officials said.
The "Questioner of Examined Documents" (QED), who is an expert on examination of handwriting samples, opined that the signatures on the attendance sheet did not match with that of Vishal, son of Sanji Ram, the alleged mastermind of the murder, the officials said.
sanji ram kathua rape case reuters
Sanji Ram, a retired bureaucrat, is accused of planning the rape of the 8-year-old in Kathua. (File)
The crime branch has already expanded its investigations into the gang rape and murder case to nail the people who had signed an attendance register on behalf of Vishal at the Meerut college.
Police wanted to again question his three friends -- Sachin, Neeraj and Sahil -- but they had approached the Supreme Court earlier this month alleging harassment by the crime branch.
The Supreme Court on May 17 refused to come to their rescue and directed them to appear before the crime branch but said in its order that "a relative of each of the witnesses shall be allowed to accompany him, but the said relative shall not enter into the investigation room. However, he shall remain at a reasonably visible distance."
While making this concession, the top court made it cleat that these directions "should not remotely be inferred that there is any kind of harassment by the investigating agency".
The officials said that the three would be questioned tomorrow and all the directions of the top court would be adhered to.
The report by the Central Forensic Sciences Laboratory (CFSL), detailing this conclusion, has been submitted to the crime branch of Jammu and Kashmir police, according to officials in the investigation team.
The crime branch, meanwhile, issued notices to all the three friends of Vishal Jangotra for appearing before it for questioning on Monday after the Supreme Court gave a go-ahead on May 17 for their further examination.
The officials said the report has stated that Vishal Jangotra had not put the signature on the attendance sheet and it was done by someone else.
Vishal Jangotra, one of the eight accused arrested in the case for raping and murdering the girl from the minority nomadic community, had claimed that he was in Meerut and had never visited Kathua when the crime was committed. He had also told the investigators that he had signed the attendance sheet before the examination on January 15.
The "Questioner of Examined Documents" (QED), who is an expert on examination of handwriting samples, opined that the signatures on the attendance sheet did not match with that of Vishal, son of Sanji Ram, the alleged mastermind of the murder, the officials said.
sanji ram kathua rape case reuters
Sanji Ram, a retired bureaucrat, is accused of planning the rape of the 8-year-old in Kathua. (File)
The crime branch has already expanded its investigations into the gang rape and murder case to nail the people who had signed an attendance register on behalf of Vishal at the Meerut college.
Police wanted to again question his three friends -- Sachin, Neeraj and Sahil -- but they had approached the Supreme Court earlier this month alleging harassment by the crime branch.
The Supreme Court on May 17 refused to come to their rescue and directed them to appear before the crime branch but said in its order that "a relative of each of the witnesses shall be allowed to accompany him, but the said relative shall not enter into the investigation room. However, he shall remain at a reasonably visible distance."
While making this concession, the top court made it cleat that these directions "should not remotely be inferred that there is any kind of harassment by the investigating agency".
The officials said that the three would be questioned tomorrow and all the directions of the top court would be adhered to.
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