Condit asked to give DNA sample, take lie test

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

WASHINGTON, JULY 11. The high drama involving the case of the missing 24-year-old intern, Ms. Chandra Levy, took another turn with the District of Columbia police searching the apartment of the Democratic Congressman, Mr. Gary Condit, looking for ``blood, hair and telltale signs of a struggle''.

Police searched Mr. Condit's apartment on Tuesday night and could be returning again later this morning. In addition, following an offer by Mr. Condit's lawyer, they have asked him to submit a DNA sample and undergo the lie detector test.

But the authorities are maintaining that Mr. Condit is still not a suspect. ``I am not saying he's a suspect or that we expect to find anything. We are doing the responsible thing and following up on offer,'' said the police chief, Mr. Charles Ramsey.

The search of the apartment is said to be ``open ended'' and that police are likely to use the chemical Luminol which with the help of an ultra-violet light will allow for blood to be seen even if the surface has been cleaned up or painted over. Till now the police have been ruling out foul play and are classifying this under the category of Missing Persons. But detectives are also looking at the possibility of Ms. Levy being a victim of crime, intended to vanish or of having committed suicide.

With only keys of her apartment on her, Ms. Levy disappeared on April 30. She cancelled her membership at a Washington Health Club and was planning to return to California for graduation at the University of Southern California. She was an intern at the Bureau of Prisons here.

If the focus continues to be on Mr. Condit, it is out of a feeling that the Democratic Congressman has not played it straight from the beginning. The 53-year-old law-maker from Modesto, California, at first denied having an affair with Ms. Levy calling her only a ``good friend''. But in the third interview with authorities, he admitted that he indeed did have an affair with her.

The district police too have taken some flak for the fashion in which the investigation has gone about. On the one hand, it would only be fair to say that the authorities have put in place as many resources as possible given the constraints. Yet, there has been the criticism that the police have shown too much deference to the Congressman; and that this search of his apartment should have been done two months ago.

On Capitol Hill, fellow Democrats are quiet on the goings on; and Mr. Condit, while staying away from the media, has been going about his business on the floor of the House of Representatives. He is a Member of the Conservative Democrats, called Blue Dog Democrats; and the feeling in some quarters is that it is for Mr. Condit to decide his next course of action.

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Section  : International
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