Police inspect burial ground, Krishnalanka station in Sai Krishna case

Amid rumours that 25-year-old Gade Sai Krishna was beaten to death in police custody and that his body was allegedly cremated to destroy evidence, police and Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) teams on Saturday visited the Krishnalanka police station and a local burial ground as part of the ongoing investigation.

Sai Krishna was reportedly picked up by the Krishnalanka police on May 9 and has been missing since then. Following this, his mother, Gade Vijaya Lakshmi, moved the High Court seeking directions to the police to produce her son. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, who reviewed the incident on June 18, directed the authorities to suspend Krishnalanka Circle Inspector Nagaraju and register cases against him under the relevant provisions of law.

As part of the investigation, Patamata Circle Inspector V. Pavan Kishore examined CCTV footage from cameras installed along the National Highway and the service road leading to the Swargapuri burial ground. He also enquired with the burial ground staff about the number of bodies, particularly unidentified ones, cremated there since May 23.

The police team examined the maintenance of registers, the procedures followed for cremations, the preservation of remains, and the roles of police and municipal corporation officials in handling unclaimed bodies.

“We have collected data on the arrival of bodies from various locations and on unclaimed bodies cremated at the burial ground. A detailed investigation is under way,” Mr. Pavan Kishore said.

Later, police took the burial ground staff into custody for questioning and seized their mobile phones.

Meanwhile, an investigation team led by Assistant Commissioner of Police Daiva Prasad questioned constables, the station writer, sentry personnel and other staff at the Krishnalanka police station. Investigators sought details on when Sai Krishna was brought to the station, the duration of his detention, his treatment in custody, the personnel on duty during the period, and those who assisted Mr. Nagaraju during the interrogation.

The team also examined the CCTV surveillance system at the police station and private cameras installed in the vicinity.

“We have seized mobile phones and records from both the police station and the burial ground,” a police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Hindu on Saturday.