New Delhi, Nov 09: The servant of Uttar Pradesh's murdered poetess Madhumita Shukla today identified Santosh Rai as "Satya Prakash", the accomplice of the person who allegedly killed her, the CBI said claiming the development boosted its efforts to solve the case. Rai, a small time political worker was arrested by the CBI on November 06 from Gorakhpur alongwith Rohit Chaturvedi, cousin of former UP minister Amar Mani Tripathi, the prime accused in the case. While Chaturvedi was remanded to police custody, Rai was sent to judicial remand to facilitate his test identification parade (TIP).

A CBI spokesman said Rai was identified by the poetess' servant Desraj at the Barbanki Jail today. "Desraj identified Santosh Rai as Satya Prakash who had gone to Madhumita's residence in Lucknow on May 09, 2003 when she was killed." After Desraj's identification, it was now clear that Rai was the accomplice of the person who shot dead Madhumita at her paper mill colony residence, he said adding the hunt had been intensified for the killer of the 24-year-old poetess.

CBI sources said Rai had been contacted by Chaturvedi after Tripathi's wife Madhumani had allegedly decided to get "rid" of the poetess as she was bearing her husband's child. The sources said after the custodial interrogation of Chaturvedi, noose around Madhumani was further tightened and the agency was awaiting the custody of Rai from the court to question him at length.

Bureau Report