The Himachal Pradesh High Court on Wednesday questioned the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) over delay in completing investigations in Gudia gangrape and murder case.

The division bench of Acting Chief Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice Sandeep Sharma rapped the investigating agency on delay in probe after the CBI counsel demanded two more weeks.

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The court observed that the CBI was unable to complete the investigations even after nine weeks and directed the investigating agency to complete the probe within two weeks. The court has posted the matter for hearing on 25 October.

Earlier, the CBI counsel Anshul Bansal requested the court to grant to more weeks time to complete investigations as reports of narco and brain mapping tests of the accused is still awaited. The scientific reports of narco and brain mapping tests would be handed over to the agency on 16 October, Bansal said, adding the agency had on 21 September had told the court that it would take four weeks time complete investigations.

The investigations are being conducted in a scientific manner and all reports would be submitted before the court on the next date of hearing, on 25 October, he said.

At present, the CBI officials are camping at the crime scene in Kotkhai in Shimla district and have questioned over 200 persons, including the classmates of the 16-yer-old girl. The CBI has also collected blood samples of more than 200 persons from near the crime spot and had sent it for DNA sampling.

It is worthwhile to mention here that 16-year-old Gudia had gone missing on 4 July while she was returning home from school and her body was found two days later in the forest.

Police had claimed that she was offered a lift by Rajender alias Raju, who along with, Subhash Singh Bisht (42), Lokjan alias Chhotu (19), Suraj (29) and Deepak (38) took her to a secluded place where they allegedly gangraped her and later smothered her to death.

One another accused Ashish Chauhan was also arrested by HP Police but the cops remained tight-lipped over his role in the ghastly crime.

On 29 August, the CBI had arrested Inspector General of Police Zahoor H Zaidi, seven other cops, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Theog) Manoj Joshi, the then Station House Officer (Kotkhai) Rajender Singh, Assistant Sub Inspector, Deep Chand Sharma, Head Constables Surat Singh, Mohan Lal and Rafiq Ali and constable Ranjit Singh for alleged custodial death case of one of the accused (Suraj).

However, the agency is yet to announce any breakthrough in Gudia case.