Bhukan asked former woman employee to send misleading SMSes to Kadam's relatives, say police insiders

There's a new twist to the murder of Vaishali Kadam.

The police have traced the involvement of a second woman in the case, in which architect Santosh Bhukan stands accused of killing his lover on August 11. Investigations have revealed that Bhukan had asked his ex-employee to send messages from Kadam's cell phone to bluff her relatives on her whereabouts.

According to sources, Bhukan, after he had killed Kadam on August 11 at his farmhouse in Pondhe near Malshiras, asked a former employee to send messages to Kadam's relatives from Mahabaleshwar. This way, the sources said, Bhukan ensured that even if these messages were traced, the investigations would lead to the hill station.

The sources said Bhukan had maintained contact with the woman even after she had quit working for his firm. Bhukan had helped her financ ially in the past, so when he approached her with the request to send messages she had no other choice but to agree.

"The girl in question travelled to Mahabaleshwar on August 12 and August 13 especially to send SMSes. Bhukan paid Rs 2,000 towards her travel and food expenses. After reports were published about the murder and Bhukan was arrested, the girl approached the police and narrated the incident to them," a source said.

Identity kept secret
Senior Police Inspector Prakash Gaharge refused to divulge the name of the girl who had sent four to five SMSes from Kadam's cellphone to her relatives. "She is an important link in the case, so it is not appropriate to reveal her identity," Gaharge said.

Bhukan was sent to magisterial custody after his police custody expired on Saturday. The police have so far recovered three cell phones from Bhukan; two of them were used by Bhukan and Kadam and the third one bought in Kadam's name was being used by Bhukan.