Police to give Condit lie-detector test

Police hunting for the missing intern Chandra Levy are to ask the US congressman with whom she was having an affair to take a lie-detector test.

Washington's police chief, Charles Ramsey, said officers would also take a DNA sample from Gary Condit and search of his apartment. "It's not saying he's a suspect or that we expect to find anything," said Mr Ramsey. "We are doing the responsible thing and following up on [Mr Condit's lawyer's] offer." The announcement came the day after Ms Levy's parents asked the House Representative to take the lie-detector – or polygraph – test and Mr Condit's lawyer, Abe Lowell, said police could search the congressman's Washington apartment and take a DNA sample.

The development comes amid a growing belief that Mr Condit, 53, has not been honest about his relationship with 24-year-old Ms Levy, who was last seen on 30 April.

When Ms Levy disappeared the married congressman – whose district includes her home town of Modesto, California – insisted they were just "good friends".

But last week Ms Levy's aunt, Linda Zamsky, revealed that her niece had told her she was having an affair with Mr Condit – a relationship that the congressman only admitted during his third interview with detectives last Friday.

Mr Ramsey said police were still seeking further "clarity" about the relationship. He said the police department was liaising with Mr Condit's staff to arrange the search, polygraph test and DNA sampling. They are likely to be completed within the next few days.