Vijayawada, July 30, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged custodial death of 25-year-old Gade Sai Krishna on Thursday began questioning suspended Circle Inspector S.S.V.V. Nagaraju, the main accused in the case, after the Supreme Court granted investigators seven days of police custody.
Following the apex court’s order, the SIT took Nagaraju into custody from Rajamahendravaram Central Prison and brought him to Vijayawada. In compliance with the Supreme Court’s directions, he was first produced before a local court before being taken for custodial interrogation.
The SIT, headed by Inspector General of Police M. Ravi Prakash, had earlier arrested Nagaraju along with four police personnel, including two head constables and two constables, on charges including wrongful confinement, torture, custodial death and destruction of evidence.
On Monday, the Supreme Court relaxed several conditions imposed by the Andhra Pradesh High Court on Nagaraju’s custodial interrogation. A Bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta held that limiting the interrogation to Rajamahendravaram Central Prison was impractical and could hamper the investigation.
The state government had informed the Supreme Court that crucial aspects of the investigation remained incomplete, including tracing Sai Krishna’s body and recovering CCTV hard disks, and argued that effective custodial interrogation was necessary to uncover the facts.
Accepting the submission, the apex court permitted the SIT to question the accused at its designated interrogation centre or any other secure facility in Vijayawada and allowed investigators to take him to relevant locations as required during the probe.
Sai Krishna allegedly died after being subjected to torture while in police custody at Krishna Lanka Police Station under the NTR Police Commissionerate in May this year.
His mother, Gade Vijaya Lakshmi, has alleged that her son was illegally detained after being picked up from Markapuram on May 6, tortured in custody and beaten to death. She further claimed that the police later cremated the body and destroyed evidence.
According to the investigation, Sai Krishna had several criminal cases and non-bailable warrants pending against him when he was detained and taken to Krishna Lanka Police Station, after which he allegedly went missing.
Based on a complaint filed by Vijaya Lakshmi, a case was registered on June 19 under Sections 127(4), 127(6), 103(1) and 238 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The SIT arrested Nagaraju on June 23, followed by the arrest of the four other police personnel allegedly involved in the case. The investigation is continuing.
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