Were Aarushi's samples changed? CBI refuses to comment

Dentist Rajesh Talwar's daughter Aarushi, 14, was found murdered in her parents' flat May 16 2008. Their domestic help Hemraj's body was found a day later on the terrace of the same building.

According to media reports, the Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD) in Hyderabad has told the CBI that Aarushi's vaginal swabs were substituted with samples of an unidentified woman and the investigating agency now believes there was a conspiracy to destroy evidence in the double murder case.

According to the reports, the CDFD finding has forced the CBI to look at the possibility that Aarushi might have been sexually assaulted or had consensual intercourse before he was murdered --   though the three servants accused in the case didn't have the wherewithal to tamper with the evidence.

Asked about the reports, CBI spokesperson Harsh Bhal said: “Regarding investigations into the Aarushi-Hemraj double murder case, we have to file a status report in the case, filed by Dr. Surat Singh, in the Supreme Court."

“We cannot share anything at present in this connection as the matter is subjudice and also under investigation,” Bhal added. The sensational case has generated a lot of controversy in the media.

The Noida police had arrested Aarushi's father on suspicion of murder, but as they failed to make any progress, the case was handed over to the CBI. The agency let Rajesh Talwar off, saying there was no evidence against him.

The agency then arrested the dentist's medical assistant Krishna, who was accused of committing the murders with the help of Raj Kumar and Vijay Mandal, both domestic helps in the neighbourhood. Due to the lack of evidence against the three, the special CBI court in Ghaziabad granted bail to them too.