The Andhra Pradesh Police have set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to look into the reported custodial death of a 25-year-old man in Vijayawada. Inspector General (Law and Order) M. Ravi Prakash will lead the SIT, focusing on the disappearance and alleged death of Gade Sai Krishna. The SIT includes members such as Sai Prasad, West Godavari Superintendent of Police Adnan Nayeem Asmi, and Alluri Sitharamaraju SP Amit Bardar, with Bapatla district Additional SP L. Sudhakar as the investigation officer.
The SIT has been granted authority to enlist necessary additional staff, technical, and forensic support from various police department units for the investigation. It has been instructed to conclude the investigation promptly. The team’s scope involves looking into accusations of wrongful confinement, murder, and tampering with evidence against Nagaraju, a suspended Circle Inspector of Krishna Lanka police station.
As the investigation progresses, pressure is mounting on Nagaraju, who faces a complaint lodged by Gade Vijaya Lakshmi, the mother of Gade Sai Krishna. Task Force police are questioning Nagaraju at his residence in Singh Nagar, with his potential arrest pending further inquiry. Charges under sections 127 (4), 127 (6), 103 (1), and 238 of Bharat Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) were filed against him on June 19.
Vijaya Lakshmi alleges that her son was subjected to torture and fatally beaten while in custody. She claims that Sai Krishna was taken into custody on May 9 for questioning in a case and never returned. Following her Habeas Corpus petition, the High Court instructed the police to produce Sai Krishna by June 29 after failing to do so on June 15. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has ordered an IPS officer-led probe into the matter and the suspension of Circle Inspector Nagaraju.
The police have gathered statements from Vijaya Lakshmi and others, along with CCTV footage and technical evidence. In response to claims that Sai Krishna was cremated after being fatally assaulted, the investigation team has collected records from a crematorium in Krishna Lanka. The team has also compiled information on unclaimed bodies cremated between May 23 and May 26.
