Prime accused in Bhanwari Devi murder case arrested in Lonavla

In a major development in the sensational Bhanwari Devi rape and murder case of Rajasthan, a prime accused, Bishan Ram Bishnoi, was arrested by the police from Lonavala after receiving a tip-off from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).u00a0

Addressing mediapersons, Police Commissioner Meeran Borwankar said that CBI officials contacted Joint Commissioner Sanjeevkumar Singhal late on Tuesday with an "important tip-off" about the case.u00a0Borwankar said the real breakthrough for the police came yesterday morning, after several failed search operations the night before. u00a0

A team under the guidance of Additional Commissioner of Police Anant Shinde, Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajesh Bansode and Assistant Commissioner of Police Vinod Satav scoured Lonavla for Bishnoi all night while simultaneously gathering information on his possible whereabouts.u00a0

"Police Inspectors Suresh Kekane and Sanjay Handore were working all night to zero in on Bishnoi when an important piece of information was received this morning. Bishnoi was finally found in an industrial godown from where he was arrested," said Borwankar.u00a0

No weapons were found on Bishnoi and the police faced little resistance while arresting him.u00a0Bishnoi was produced in court late in the afternoon yesterday. The police were granted a two-day transit custody and Bishnoi will now be handed over to the CBI team in Jodhpur.u00a0

The CBI had announced a Rs 5 lakh reward for catching Bishnoi and Borwankar said this amount will now be given to the team.u00a0"I will also invoke the Police Commissioner's discretionary reward of Rs 25,000 and add it to the amount," she said.

Rajasthan's water resources minister Mahipal Maderna was sacked for his alleged involvement in the rape, abduction and murder of Bhanwari Devi, a 36-year-old nurse who went missing on September 1.u00a0

On December 2, Maderna was arrested by the CBI along with the brother of a ruling Congress MLA in the Bhanwari Devi abduction case. Bhanwari had gone missing soon after a CD, purportedly showing her and Maderna in a compromising position, surfaced. She was alleged to have been blackmailing the minister with the CD.