Vijayawada lockup death: SIT takes SHO into custody

The Special Investigation Team, probing the alleged custodial death of a 25-year-old man in Vijayawada, on Tuesday took suspended SHO into custody for questioning.

The four-member SIT constituted two days ago by the Andhra Pradesh government took Nagaraju, the suspended Station House Officer (SHO) of Krishna Lanka police station, into custody from his residence in Singh Nagar.

He was shifted to the police guest house, where he was being interrogated by the SIT.

Supporters of the suspended police officer had gathered outside his residence when he was being taken into custody. Carrying placards and the pictures of Nagaraju, his supporters raised slogans. They demanded that the government withdraw the case booked against Nagaraju.

A large number of police personnel were deployed to prevent any untoward incident.

The arrest came two days after the state government constituted an SIT headed by Inspector General (Law and Order) M. Ravi Prakash to probe the disappearance and alleged custodial death of Gade Sai Krishna.

The SIT, which also comprises West Godavari Superintendent of Police Adnan Nayeem Asmi, Alluri Sitharamaraju SP Amit Bardar, and Bapatla district Additional SP L. Sudhakar as the investigation officer, has intensified its investigation in the case.

The SIT on Monday recorded statements of Sai Krishna’s mother, Gade Vijayalakshmi and other family members.

The team also visited the Krishna Lanka police station, where Sai Krishna was allegedly taken before he went missing. The officials scrutinised police station records. They also questioned around 11 police personnel who were on duty at the police station to ascertain what transpired after Sai Krishna was brought there.

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 Vijaya Lakshmi, who alleged that her son was tortured and beaten to death in custody.

According to her, police had picked up Sai Krishna on May 9 for questioning in a case. She alleged that her son was illegally detained and subjected to custodial torture at the police station. She also alleged that his body was cremated at the Swargapuri electric crematorium to destroy evidence.

She filed a Habeas Corpus petition in the High Court, which directed the Krishna Lanka police to produce the victim before it on June 15. As the police could not produce Sai Krishna, the High Court directed the police to produce him by June 29.