Will the extradition of one of India's most wanted men finally crack the unsolved Purulia, India, arms-drop case, which was allegedly planned and funded by two Hong Kong-based businessmen more than a decade ago?
Last month, Denmark succumbed to persistent diplomatic pressure from Interpol and New Delhi and agreed to hand over Kim Peter Davy alias Niels Christian Nielsen, to stand trial in India. Described variously as a Dane, a New Zealander, an Englishman or an American, Davy is accused of masterminding with Wai Hong-mak and Peter Haestrup, Hong Kong businessmen holding British passports, what Indian authorities describe as 'the biggest crime in the country's history'.
Even as Danish and Indian authorities burn the midnight oil to finalise the date for Davy's extradition, security and legal experts monitoring the murky Purulia case have expressed fears that nothing substantial is likely to come out of whole exercise.
'New Delhi has mysteriously agreed to too many humiliating conditions to lay its hands on Davy. India's approach is suspect. The whole thing stinks', says Deepak Prahladka, a lawyer who defended Peter Bleach, a key defendant who was convicted in the Purulia case, only to be released in 2004 without serving his full sentence following prolonged pressure from British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Apparently, India has given Copenhagen a written undertaking that Davy will not be sentenced to capital punishment, will enjoy round-the-clock consular access, and will be repatriated if he is convicted to serve his term in Denmark.
Critics of the deal, which New Delhi is touting as a major victory, say it reeks of diplomatic intrigue and questionable bargains.