It was the Friday morning of May 16, 2008, soon-to-turn 14-year-old Aarushi Talwar was found dead in the bedroom of her house situated in Jalvayu Vihar, Noida. Her throat was cut and her head slam. The family’s live-in domestic help Hemraj Banjade was seen as the prime suspect in the murder, but, a day later, Hemraj (45) was found dead on the balcony of the same flat. His throat also slit and he had suffered injuries to his head. There was abrasion all over his body and the door to the terrace was found locked from inside.

Six days after Aarushi’s body was found, police suspected it to be a case of honor killing and her parents, Rajesh Talwar and Nupur Talwar, both dentists, came under the scanner. Noida Police alleged that Rajesh had committed the twin murders after finding Aarushi and Hemraj in a “horrible” position. However, no forensic or material proof was provided to confirm the claim.

On May 23, 2008, Rajesh Talwar was arrested for the double murder. As the case became a topic of household debate with a divided public opinion on who killed Aarushi, the case was handed over to the CBI.

On June 13, CBI arrested Krishna Thadaraj, an assistant at Rajesh’s Noida clinic. On June 20, CBI conducted a lie detector test on Rajesh Talwar. Five days later, a second lie detector test was also conducted on Aarushi’s mother, Nupur Talwar, as the first one was found to be questionable. After spending almost two months in jail, Rajesh Talwar got bail on July 12. As the investigation continued, narco-analysis tests were conducted on the Talwars. In December 2010, CBI submitted a closure report on the grounds of “insufficient evidence”. Giving a clean chit to the servants, CBI named Rajesh Talwar as the prime suspect. However, due to lack of evidence, CBI did not charge him. The court said the case could not be closed.

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