CBI to probe claims of murder of A Raja's aide

CBI will probe the claims made by one K Prabhakaran that he and two others had murdered Sadiq Batcha, an alleged close aide of ex-Telecom Minister A Raja.
The agency which probed the mysterious death of Batcha in 2011 had filed a closure report in August, 2012 concluding that he had committed suicide.
Batcha was running a company through which the agency suspected alleged illicit remittances of 2G case were routed.
CBI sources said they have taken note of the claims made by 24-year-old Prabhakaran at Tiruchirapalli Press Club yesterday that he and two others had murdered Batcha in 2011 and any further action will be as per provisions of the law.

In order to reopen the probe the agency will have to approach the court where it had filed the closure and seek its permission citing grounds for starting the investigations.
Prabhakaran claimed Batcha was murdered after he gave CBI "vital information" that went against Raja in the 2G case.

Latching on to the man's claim, MDMK chief Vaiko today alleged that a top police official had a hand in closing the 'murder' of Batcha as a case of suicide to shield the culprits.
Batcha was found hanging in his house at Teynampet in south Chennai by his wife and driver, nearly a month after Raja's arrest in the 2G case.

The agency had used the services of forensic experts from the AIIMS to detect whether Batcha was killed but even after detailed examination, it did not find anything which can substantiate the murder hypothesis, CBI sources said.
Batcha had left a suicide note stating that he was "embarrassed" by the raids of various enforcement agencies and the extensive media coverage of them. The agency had concluded that the suicide note was in his own handwriting.