Three days after interrogating Hardik Vipani, police officers on Tuesday felt that the plot hatched by this young man and alleged killer Shyam Karia was quite amateurish, or else they would not have left Ankit Desai?s body in the car, which led to its quick detection, instead of burying it.

In view of Hardik?s ever-changing statements about the murder on January 17, police have come to the conclusion that perhaps no professional killer was involved in the murder on Rajarhat New Town Expressway.

Officers feel Ankit could have been murdered inside the Chevrolet Optra LS, which Desai drove.

Desai?s body was later discovered in the car near the footbridge connecting Salt Lake and Lake Town on VIP Road. Police on Tuesday clarified that Karia got into the car at a junction near the bridge connecting Rajarhat and Salt Lake (and not at Wipro complex). ?He was not at the complex,? claimed an official.

?Usually, when a gang commits a murder, the body is either buried or dumped somewhere so that it remains untraced for days,? said a senior district police officer of North 24-Parganas.

In this case, it was easier to bury Desai?s body after the murder.

?A few yards from the expressway, the spot is deserted after dark and it is easier to bury a body. It is surprising that instead of burying, the killers took the risk of leaving the body on one of the city?s main thoroughfares,? he said. Police feel that after the murder, Hardik panicked and fled.

?We are examining Hardik?s contradictory statements but unless we get Shyam, the puzzle cannot be solved,? the officer said.

Officers claim Shyam was hiding in and around Calcutta. ?He does not have any criminal record. There is also no proof of his connection with any big gang,? they said.

Police are examining Shyam?s bank account in Calcutta to find out the transactions in the past year. His account in Pune is also being scrutinised.