The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will soon take over the probe in the Budaun rape and murder case as the agency received a request from the Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday.
A formal notification from Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) referring the case to the CBI is awaited.
Sources said the CBI has expressed its willingness to take over the probe of the alleged rape and murder of two teenagers in Budaun, which triggered a nationwide outrage.
The sources said the matter will now go to the DoPT which will issue a formal notification in this regard, after which the CBI will take over the cases registered by the Uttar Pradesh Police and start its inquiry.
They said the case will be probed by the unit based here to avoid any allegation of favours and pressures from local administration.
The police had registered a case against seven accused, of whom five—brothers Pappu Yadav, Awadhesh Yadav, Urvesh Yadav and constables Chhatrapal Yadav and Sarvesh Yadav—have been arrested.
The victims, cousins aged 14 and 15 years, had allegedly been gang-raped and murdered with their bodies found hanging from a mango tree.
In a new twist, Uttar Pradesh DGP A L Banerjee had recently claimed that rape of one of the victims was not confirmed and property dispute could be a motive.