Dhanbad Judge Murder accused stole mobile phones: CBI

In the alleged murder of Dhanbad judge Uttam Anand, the accused had stolen used mobile phones a night before committing the crime. The CBI revealed that the accused used the phone to make several calls.

The accused had stolen three mobile phones from a railway contractor named Purnendu Vishwakarma. They used their own SIM card to make the phone calls. Vishwakarma had reported the theft at a local police station. The officials did not report the matter to seniors, and Constable Vijay Yadav has been suspended for negligence, reported NDTV.

The autorickshaw is registered in a woman's name. The accused confessed to stealing the vehicle and phone.

The judge was killed on July 28 by ramming an autorickshaw when he was on the morning run. The CCTV footage showed that the vehicle was running straight to him along a deserted stretch of the road. The case was handed over to the CBI on August 4. Jharkhand police had arrested two persons - auto driver Lakhan Verma and his helper Rahul Verma - on July 29.

Judge Anand had been handling several cases of mafia killings and had rejected bail requests from two gangsters. He was also hearing a murder case involving an MLA's associate. The Supreme Court took up the case on July 30, saying that it is not a "hit and run" and the murder has "wider ramifications".