A senior police official says that two home guards on duty that night outside the traffic inspector's office are under suspicion. ``The driver had parked the vehicle outside the office after dropping traffic inspector Kailash Chander Sharma home. It is possible that the home guards went for a drive later in the night, but met with an accident. And they were afraid to report the incident to their seniors,'' the official said.

He added that the home guards had been drinking during the night. Officials at the Welcome Colony police station, however, said investigations are yet to be completed. They said that the statements of several persons had been taken, including the two home guards. DCP (traffic) M.S. Upadhye today denied that the disappearance of the vehicle had caused panic before and during the parade. ``It was found missing around 6 a.m. on January 26, and not on the previous day. By 11.30 a.m. it had been recovered,'' he said.

The vehicle was found overturned in a field in Baraut in UP, which is 40 km from Delhi.

Upadhye said: ``Immediately after we came to know that the vehicle was missing, we flashed wireless messages about the registration number. Instructions issued said that if anyone spotted the vehicle, they should verify the identity of the occupants. And it was found before the parade ended''.