2 more cops arrested in Vijayawada custodial death case

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has arrested two more police constables in the alleged custodial death of Gade Sai Krishna.

The SIT arrested Babu Rao and Sambaiah, taking the number of arrests in the case to five.

Babu Rao and Sambaiah, who are accused numbers five and six, respectively, were produced before a Second ACM Court, which remanded them to judicial custody for 14 days.

The magistrate directed that Babu Rao be lodged in Avanigadda jail and Sambaiah in Gannavaram jail.

There are allegations that the two constables, serving at Krishna Lanka police station, assisted Circle Inspector (Station House Officer) S.S.V.V. Nagaraju, who is the main accused in the case.

Sai Krishna (25) disappeared after he was picked up by the police on May 6. His family alleged that he was beaten to death in the lockup and his body was disposed of at an electric crematorium.

The SIT is reported to be questioning another accused, Suresh, said to be a friend of Nagaraju.

Two head constables, Ashok and Nani, surrendered before police on Monday (June 29).

The SIT grilled them on Tuesday. They were later produced before a court, which sent them to judicial custody.

The duo had allegedly gone into hiding after the arrest of the suspended SHO.

The state government has also suspended both the head constables.

The SIT arrested Nagaraju on June 23. The next day, a city court sent him to judicial remand till July 8.

The SIT is probing the allegations of wrongful confinement, murder and causing the disappearance of evidence against the suspended SHO.

A case was registered on June 19 under sections 127 (4), 127 (6), 103 (1) and 238 of Bharat Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on a complaint by Sai Krishna’s mother, Vijaya Lakshmi, who alleged that her son was tortured and beaten to death in custody.

The SIT last week informed the lower court that Sai Krishna died of the injuries inflicted on him in custody. The court was also told that the CCTV footage at the police station was deliberately deleted.

Sai Krishna, who had some cases and non-bailable warrants pending against him, was picked up on May 6 at Markapuram and was shifted to Krishna Lanka police station. He was kept in illegal custody, and he subsequently disappeared, the SIT said.

The SIT, headed by Inspector General (Law and Order) M. Ravi Prakash, comprises West Godavari Superintendent of Police Adnan Nayeem Asmi, Alluri Sitharamaraju SP Amit Bardar as members and Bapatla district Additional SP L. Sudhakar as the investigation officer.