Sai Krishna (left) SSVV Nagaraju (right)
Vijayawada: “Why did you come? I will kill your son, get a garland ready for his photo,” were the alleged threats made to a woman by an Andhra Pradesh police inspector in the sensational Gade Sai Krishna case in which the arrested cop is accused of beating the man to death and then clandestinely cremating his body.
Over the past few days, Andhra Pradesh has been shaken by the alleged “disappearance” of Sai Krishna, whose mother Gade Vijaya Lakshmi has accused former Vijayawada Krishna Lanka police inspector SSVV Nagaraju of torturing her son to death and then cremating his body without the knowledge of family members.
“After seeing me, he (Naga Raju) said why did you come? I will kill your son, get a garland ready for his photo,” said Lakshmi in her police complaint on June 19 against Naga Raju over the “disappearance” of her son, recounting the manner in which the suspended inspector “threatened” her when she went to check Sai Krishna’s fate in the police station.
Following an uproar over the sensational “murder” case of Sai Krishna, police arrested Naga Raju on Monday. He was earlier booked for murder and other charges on June 19.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed to probe Sai Krishna’s “murder” case produced him in a local court in Vijayawada on Wednesday, June 24, which remanded him to custody for 14 days.
In the remand report submitted to the court, the SIT highlighted that Sai Krishna’s case pertains to alleged illegal detention, wrongful confinement, murder of a person, intentionally causing the disappearance of evidence and furnishing false information.
It underlined that the SIT probe draws a strong prima facie inference that Sai Krishna suffered fatal injuries in police custody and succumbed to them in Naga Raju’s custody.
The report underscored that SIT’s investigation until now has disclosed material facts and circumstances which “prima facie indicate the involvement of Naga Raju in the commission of offences.”
According to Police, Sai Krishna, against whom non-bailable warrants (NBWs) were allegedly pending, was brought to Krishna Lanka police station from Markapuram in the first week of May.
On May 6 morning, constable Tulam Himaja handed over the custody of Sai Krishna, along with his cell phone to Naga Raju.
“He (Sai Krishna) was required to be produced before the jurisdictional magistrate without unnecessary delay and within the time prescribed by law. However, the deceased was not produced before any magistrate, and no lawful explanation for such non-production has been forthcoming,” said the remand report.
Upon learning that Sai Krishna has been apprehended, his mother Lakshmi went to the police station and found him in the “lock-up with visible fatal injuries.”
When she requested Naga Raju to release her son, he allegedly threatened her with dire consequences and abused her in filthy language, according to the remand report.
Later, she informed her advocate sister who took along a few more advocates to the police station but were again allegedly snubbed, abused and threatened by the policeman.
As per the remand report, Lakshmi stated that she had “witnessed her son in the police station and even heard his cries, including seeing him in an unconscious state with his legs tied.”
“She also came to know that the deceased was brutally assaulted by the accused in the police station,” it said.
Meanwhile, Lakshmi filed a writ petition in the High Court to protect her son but the police informed the court that his whereabouts were not known, said the remand report.
Naga Raju informed the High Court that efforts were being made to “trace” Sai Krishna. However, he did not disclose the fact that Sai Krishna had already been apprehended from Markapuram by Vijayawada Task Force Police and brought to Krishna Lanka police station on his written requisition, it said.
“This conduct prima facie indicates deliberate suppression of material facts relating to the apprehension and custody of the deceased and an attempt to conceal the true facts from the Hon’ble High Court,” the report contended.
Such omission assumes significance in view of the evidence collected during the investigation and prima facie suggests an attempt to mislead the Court, obstruct the course of justice, and screen the persons responsible from legal consequences, it observed.
Further, the probe into the ghastly incident also unearthed that surveillance footage in Krishna Lanka police station, where the alleged custodial death occurred, was missing from May 1 to June 1.
The SIT highlighted that the investigation necessitates custodial interrogation of Naga Raju to ascertain the complete chain of events, “trace” the body of the deceased, identify other persons involved, if any, and recover further evidence connected with the commission of the offences.
Moreover, the SIT observed that Naga Raju is not cooperating with the probe, giving evasive and non-committal answers, thereby hampering the progress of the investigation.
The SIT noted that Naga Raju’s continued judicial custody is necessary in the interest of justice and for a fair, impartial and effective probe.
This post was last modified on June 24, 2026 8:19 pm