The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has apprehended two additional police constables, Babu Rao and Sambaiah, in connection with the alleged custodial demise of Gade Sai Krishna. This brings the total number of arrests in the case to five individuals. Babu Rao and Sambaiah, identified as accused numbers five and six, were presented before a Second ACM Court, where they were remanded to judicial custody for 14 days. The court ordered Babu Rao to be held at Avanigadda jail and Sambaiah at Gannavaram jail.
There are accusations that these two constables, stationed at Krishna Lanka police station, aided Circle Inspector S.S.V.V. Nagaraju, the primary suspect in the case. Sai Krishna, aged 25, went missing after being taken into police custody on May 6. His family asserts that he was subjected to fatal beatings while in custody, and his body was disposed of at an electric crematorium. The SIT is currently interrogating another suspect, Suresh, reported to be an associate of Nagaraju.
Following the arrest of the suspended Station House Officer (SHO), two head constables, Ashok and Nani, surrendered to the police on June 29. They were interrogated by the SIT the next day and subsequently presented before a court, which remanded them to judicial custody. Both constables had allegedly gone into hiding after the SHO’s arrest. The state government has also suspended Ashok and Nani from their duties.
On June 23, the SIT arrested Nagaraju, and he was remanded to judicial custody until July 8 by a city court the following day. The SIT’s investigation focuses on allegations of wrongful confinement, murder, and tampering with evidence against the suspended SHO. A case was filed on June 19 under specific sections of the Bharat Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) based on a complaint by Sai Krishna’s mother, Vijaya Lakshmi, who claimed her son was tortured and killed while in custody.
The SIT recently informed the lower court that Sai Krishna succumbed to the injuries sustained during his custody. Additionally, it was revealed that the CCTV footage at the police station had been intentionally erased. Sai Krishna, who had pending cases and warrants against him, was picked up on May 6 in Markapuram and transferred to Krishna Lanka police station. The SIT alleges that he was held in unlawful custody and subsequently went missing. The SIT, led by Inspector General M. Ravi Prakash, includes members such as West Godavari Superintendent of Police Adnan Nayeem Asmi, Alluri Sitharamaraju SP Amit Bardar, and Bapatla district Additional SP L. Sudhakar as the investigating officer.
