Krishnalanka police station staff destroyed evidences in custodial death case: SIT

The Special Investigation Team (SIT), which is probing the alleged custodial death of Gade Sai Krishna, have observed that some constables, head constables and other staff of Krishnalanka police station had destroyed the evidence associated with the case. The SIT also said that the accused were not cooperating with the investigation.

Investigation officers arrested head constables Jangam Nani and Potarlanka Ashok, and produced them before the court on Tuesday night. The SIT produced constable Kaitepalli Babu Rao and head constable Goriparthi Sambabai in the Second Additional Judicial First Class Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, which remanded them to judicial custody.

Earlier, the SIT arrested Circle Inspector S.S.V.V. Nagaraju in the case and he is in judicial custody.

Eight-day police custody for former CI

The court on Thursday granted an eight-day police custody to Nagaraju from July 3. The SIT filed a petition seeking 12 days custody of the accused. The court directed the SIT to question Nagaraju in Rajamahendravaram.

The SIT officials said evidence suggests the involvement of Nani and Ashok, who were attached to Krishnalanka police station, in the wrongful confinement and custodial torture of Sai Krishna.

Investigation revealed that head constable Sambaiah and constable Babu Rao deleted the CCTV footage and other digital evidence related to Sai Krishna’s illegal custody, torture and other offences that occurred in the police station.

The constables did not answer any queries during the questioning, and Nani and Ashok said that they had sold away their mobile phones to some unknown persons in Nagpur, the SIT officers told the court.

Meanwhile, Human Rights Forum (HRF) State general secretary Y. Rajesh and secretary G. Rohit, in a statement issued on Thursday, said that Gade Sai Krishna was subjected to custodial torture and he died in custody. They demanded a probe by the judicial magistrate, not an executive magistrate.