Deposed whatever was taught to me by CBI: Talwars' maid

Ghaziabad: In a dramatic turn of events, a CBI witness and maid of Rajesh and Nupur Talwar on Tuesday told the special CBI court in Ghaziabad that she was "forced" by the probe agency to give statements in the sensational Aarushi-Hemraj murder case.

On Monday, the part-time maid, Bharti Mandal, had told the court that the main doors of the Talwars' house were locked from inside on the morning after the killings.

The revelation came during her cross-examination by three defence counsel, including one of the counsel for the Talwars, Manoj Sishodia.

Bharti, 35, told the court that "I am deposing what ever was taught to me by the CBI".

After her disclosure, the probe agency's counsel took Bharti outside the court prompting Shishodia to move an application seeking action against the CBI official who took away the witness.

The court reserved the order on the application. "The witness is tutored. She did not give any statement of her own. This is the first time she is deposing before the court... whatever she was taught by the CBI... whatever the witness deposed before the court in her examination, she did not give those statements before the CBI... she replied on every question in the cross examination," Shishodia said.

Bharti in her cross-examination told the court that she did not receive any summons and never saw any CBI officer and no one came to her house.

She was called for the first time to give a statement before the court on Monday, the maid said.

She also said in her deposition that her "husband's name is Vishnu Mandal" and not Bhim Singh as per the CBI records.

During the cross examination, when the defence counsel asked Bharti whether she gave any statement to the CBI to the effect that she had been living in Noida for 8 to 9 years, she answered that she did not give any statement like that.

She told that she came to Noida one year before the murder of Aarushi.

"I do not know why the CBI has written my statement to the effect that I have been living in Noida area for about 8 to 9 years," Bharti said during her cross examination.

She deposed before the court that she did not give statement to investigation officer that she rang up the outer door bell once and went to lift the bucket and the washing cloth from the staircase but she gave this statement "before the camera" (meaning some TV channel).

She could not say if the IO had written this statement. Bharti also stated that she was deposing before the court for the first time to state that "Nupur Talwar said that when Hemraj would return from the Mother Dairy (with the milk) then the doors would be opened. Till then you sit out side."

She could not say, if the CBI had written this statement. She was also asked whether she called any neighbour when Nupur Talwar asked her to "bring any one" from the neighbourhood, she said that she went down and told some neighbours that "some one had cut the throat of the Talwars' daughter."

She said she did not give this statement too to anyone and if the IO had written this statement, she could not tell the reason.

She also deposed that when ever she used to go to the house of the accused for work, Hemraj used to open the door.

She also identified the clothes, red T-shirt, an half trouser and maxi supposedly worn by Rajesh and Nupur Talwar on the morning of May 16, 2008.

These were exhibits in the case and were opened in the court room for the witness to identify during the proceedings on Tuesday.

Public prosecutor RK Saini said that the IO will tell why did he write the all statements. The cross examination of Bharti Mandal was over on Tuesday.