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Kavita Bajeli-Dutt
Delhi Police and security agencies are embarrassed over the belated discovery of two home-made revolvers at the government bungalow of 'bandit queen' Phoolan Devi that were used to kill her.
Senior officials were stunned that the weapons had remained undiscovered since her murder on July 25, until Monday, during which period Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and a host of top politicians visited the house.
The two revolvers, known locally as kattas, were among the weapons that were reportedly used to gun down Phoolan Devi as she prepared to enter the house. The hooded killers escaped, but all four have since been arrested.
The police seized a katta and a Webley Scott revolver from a getaway car used by the killers that was abandoned shortly after the killing.
After his arrest, the main accused, Sher Singh Rana, confessed that two other kattas were dumped at the murder site.
These weapons were found at the garage of Phoolan Devi's bungalow on Monday when Delhi Police carried out a search at the instance of Ranjit Singh, who was staying at the garage, using it as a de facto house. Besides the weapons, the police also found five cartridges.
An officer involved with the prime minister's security said routine 'anti-sabotage checks' were carried out before Vajpayee visited the house to lay a floral wreath on Phoolan Devi's body.
"It seems the weapons were planted later and it could be an insider's job," he said.
"After a murder occurs, the police normally check the entire area. It seems they failed to detect the weapons," he added.
But Delhi Police are trying to pass the buck.
"The Special Protection Group provides security to the prime minister. If they had carried out a through check, the weapons could have been detected earlier," said a police official.
Additional commissioner of Police Qamar Ahmed said: "We are ascertaining whether the weapons were used for killing the MP."
He said the weapons have been sent to ballistic experts.
Samajwadi Party member Ranjit Singh has told the police that he got scared after discovering the weapons under his bed and hid them in a bag.
Police said they are verifying his claims.
Rana has reportedly told the police that he bought one of the killer weapons from a police sub-inspector in Uttar Pradesh. Rana had surrendered to the police Friday in the neighboring state of Uttaranchal.
Indo-Asian News Service
Complete coverage of the Phoolan murder case
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