Ten days ago, Delhi Police top brass abruptly recalled the crime branch team from UP, which was on the verge of getting "clinching evidence" linking three politicians with the Phoolan Devi murder. A section of the crime branch feels they are being prevented "from revealing the actual motive behind the killing".

Evidence was being collected that at the root of Phoolan's killing on July 25 was a political conspiracy and a financial dispute. Investigations pointed to the involvement of a former MP and two MLAs from Uttar Pradesh, along with the powerful liquor mafia. "The entire conspiracy behind the killing has been unearthed. But the truth in the Phoolan murder case will never be revealed," said a senior police official bitterly.Officials claimed that Phoolan had some financial dealings with these three politicians. Documentary evidence had been collected from Roorkee, Dehradun and Mirzapur to confirm this aspect. Initially, senior police officials agreed with the probe findings, but abruptly the team was summoned to Delhi and investigations were closed.

With barely two months left to file the chargesheet in the case, it is proving difficult to find evidence against the six main accused - Sher Singh Rana, Dhan Prakash alias Vicky, Vijay Singh alias Raju, Shekhar Thakur, Ravinder alias Rajinder and Rajbir Gujjar. Ironically, all the six have surrendered, not been arrested. But there is lack of "circumstantial, oral and material evidence"against the main accused. It may be that while Sher Singh was the hit-man, the main conspirators were the three UP politicians. A team headed by Investigating Officer Suresh Kaushik has been directed to look into this aspect. The crime branch thus is now relying heavily on the ballistic and the fingerprint report. The forensic report, expected in about a fortnight, will establish whether the weapons of offence have fingerprints of Sher Singh and Vicky.Incidentally, one of the accused Shravan, who was lodged in Hardwar jail on July 25, the day of the murder, posing as Sher Singh, is still missing. Only Shravan's arrest can determined whether Sher Singh had an alibi.