Patna, Jan. 14: The Patna branch of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is likely to make its political leader’s murder case probe debut with the investigation into the stabbing of BJP legislator from Purnea Sadar Rajkishore Keshari.

School principal Rupam Pathak knifed Keshari (53) to death at his ancestral home in Purnea on January 4. The state government recommended a CBI probe into the sensational murder case on January 8.

Sources in the CBI said the Patna branch of the country’s premier investigating agency has now been empowered to investigate the cases related to the murder. Earlier, all the murder cases handed over to the CBI by the state government were probed by its Delhi unit.

Sources said the officials of the Patna unit of the CBI, which used to deal with the cases related to the animal husbandry department scam so far, has been empowered to probe the high-profile cases recently. A notification to this effect was issued from the CBI directorate in New Delhi last year. The investigating officer can be appointed from anywhere, though.

The sources said the Patna branch of the investigating agency was probing the case related to the murder of Santosh Tekriwal, a leading transporter of Patna. Tekriwal, the owner of Azad Transport agency, was gunned down by motorcycle-borne criminals in Rajendra Nagar locality under Kadamkuan police station in Patna on July 10, 2009.

The Tekriwal murder case was handed over to the CBI following demand from the Opposition. “The investigation in the much-publicised Tekriwal murder case is underway,” a senior CBI official said. The Patna branch of CBI is investigating into two cases each related to death in alleged fake police encounter and police firing in Sitamarhi and Gaya districts on the directive of Patna High Court. The inquiry reports in both cases have been submitted to the high court.

Besides, a case related to the theft of National Savings Certificates worth Rs 40 crore from the brake van of a goods train stationed at Patna Junction is under investigation of the CBI’s Patna branch. The agency has so far failed to make any significant breakthrough in the case.

Earlier, the state government had recommended a probe by the CBI into the mysterious death of Yogendra Pandey, an executive engineer posted in the road construction department’s Sitamarhi office. He had died after falling from the building of the collectorate in daylight on June 25, 2009.

The CBI, in its preliminary report, said Pandey committed suicide under duress. The agency, however, blamed the district magistrate then and the superintendent of police of Sitamarhi for not providing security to Pandey after a contractor threatened him.