SIT arrests two more cops in Andhra’s custodial death case

THe Special investigating team up ( sit around) of the Andhra Pradesh police force probing the alleged tutelary death of 25-year-old Gade Sai Krishna at Krishna Lanka police station in Vijayawada on Wednesday arrested two more police personnel, taking the total number of arrests in the case to six, people familiar with the matter said.According to a senior police official, the SIT arrested Krishna Lanka crime police constables Babu Rao and Sambayya after questioning them about their alleged role in the case.“They were produced before the Second Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Court in Vijayawada, which remanded them to 14 days of judicial custody. Following the court’s directions, the accused were sent to prison,” the official said.The SIT alleged that Babu Rao and Sambayya had replaced the CCTV hard disks installed at the police station with different hard disks in an attempt to destroy evidence related to the case.The SIT further informed the court that Sai Krishna’s body is yet to be traced and that the arrested accused have not been cooperating with the investigation.On Tuesday, the police arrested two other personnel — head constables Potharlanka Ashok Kumar and Jangam Nani — and produced them before the court, which remanded them to 14 days of judicial custody.In its report submitted to the court, the SIT alleged that both the head constables failed to disclose the complete facts and remained silent when questioned by the investigating officer.“When asked to hand over the mobile phones they had been using, the two allegedly claimed they had sold the devices to unidentified persons in Nagpur due to financial difficulties,” the SIT told the court.Earlier, on June 27, the SIT arrested Suresh, a close friend of Krishna Lanka inspector S S V S Nagaraju, the prime accused in the case, who was suspended and later arrested for his alleged role in the custodial death.The SIT alleged that Suresh had helped Nagaraju dispose of Sai Krishna’s body after the custodial death.On Wednesday, the SIT produced Nagaraju before the court virtually while seeking 12 days of police custody for further questioning.During the hearing, Nagaraju told the judge that he was being pressured to admit guilt and claimed that attempts were being made to falsely implicate him in the case.Nagaraju said he had fully cooperated with the SIT during the earlier stages of the investigation and had already shared all the information available with him. He maintained that he had no additional information to provide and alleged that he was being made a scapegoat in the investigation.The suspended officer also expressed concerns over his safety, telling the court that his life was under threat while in custody. Taking note of his allegations, the judge asked Nagaraju to submit his claims and objections in the form of an affidavit.