Jessica Lal

New Delhi, May 24: A week after Jessica Lal’s murder, Manu Sharma had told police in graphic detail how and why he shot her, what he did afterwards and where he hid the lone gun ? yet a glaring police lapse prevents it all being produced in court.

“I took out my pistol and fired one bullet at the ceiling and another at Jessica Lal which hit her above her left eye,” the signed, six-page statement says.

“I hid my pistol at a dhaba?. I later gave my pistol to Ravindra Sudan?. I know where the pistol is and I can help the police recover it.”

A Delhi police source said the May 7, 1999, confession refutes the two-pistol theory that led to the mass acquittals, but it won’t stand up in court because the police failed to get it recorded in the presence of a judicial magistrate.

“The police officers looking into the case committed (another) grave mistake by not seizing the pistol whose whereabouts Manu Sharma had clearly described in his statement. It raises questions about the intentions of some police officers,” the source added.

The special investigating team (SIT) of Delhi police, probing possible evidence-tampering in the case by police officers, considers the confession a key document in its investigations, police commissioner K.K. Paul said.

“SIT? is already working on it. The interrogation report that included Sharma’s confessional statement should have been followed up then... (it) could have led to a different result. The serious lapses are being looked into,” Paul said.

Manu signed the confession, written in Hindi, in his official name of Siddharth Vashisht before inspector Raman Lamba and investigating officer Surender Sharma, then station house officer of Mehrauli police station.

The videographed confession, which was never produced in court, gives a blow-by-blow account of the events of April 29-30:

I reached Qutub Colonnade around 11.30 pm along with Vikas Yadav, Amandeep Gill and Alok Khanna. We were already a peg down. A Thursday party was on and about 300 people were present.

Around 2 am, I went to the restaurant inside and asked for more whisky. Malini Ramani, Jessica Lal and five to six people were standing there; they told me ‘whisky is finished’. I felt bad. I took out my pistol and fired one bullet at the ceiling and another at Jessica Lal which hit her above her left eye. Great commotion followed. Somehow I managed to reach Tony Gill’s place; Vikas Yadav and Alok Khanna were also there.

Because of the fear of being caught I hid my pistol at a dhaba located outside Tamarind Bar in the Mehrauli area, a little distance away from the scene of the crime. Later, I came back to the dhaba with my two friends ? Vikas Yadav and Amit Jhingan ? to get my gun back?. In the morning at 6, I went to Vikas Yadav’s house in B.R. Mehta Lane.

I later gave my pistol to Ravindra Sudan who lives in Mani Majra near Chandigarh, and asked him to keep it. I know where the pistol is and I can help the police recover it. I can take the police to all the places and people who gave shelter to me in Delhi, Punjab and Chandigarh.

But on May 11, 2005, Manu recorded another statement, altering one detail.

“I had lied about the location of the pistol. Instead of Mani Majra, Ravindra Sudan took the pistol to Manali to my uncle Shyamsunder Sharma. I know where they have hidden the pistol and I can help you recover it in Manali,” he said.