Hyderabad: CBI’s Hyderabad branch has registered a murder and criminal conspiracy case against seven people over the custodial death of 25-year-old Gade Sai Krishna at Krishnalanka police station in Vijayawada, following an Andhra Pradesh high court order transferring the investigation.The Oct 22 case names inspector Suda Suresh Veera Venkata Nagaraju; head constables Potarlanka Ashok Kumar, Janjam Nani and Goriparthi Sambaiah; constable Kaitepalli Babu Rao; home guard Koneti Venkata Raju; and private individual Gulivindala Suresh.CBI re-registered the state police case under BNS provisions covering murder, conspiracy, wrongful confinement, disappearance of evidence, theft and criminal breach of trust, alongside provisions of the Information Technology Act and Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.Taken into custody, never produced in courtAccording to the state SIT report reproduced in the judgment, Sai Krishna was apprehended at Markapuram around 3 am on May 6 to execute pending warrants and handed over to Krishnalanka police around 7 am. He was neither produced before a magistrate nor released.His mother, Vijaya Lakshmi, alleged that the inspector threatened to kill him when she visited the station. The SIT cited a custody acknowledgement, photographs, lock-up reports and official WhatsApp messages recording his presence. An RMP who examined him on May 8 reported bruises and swelling.According to accused Suresh’s disclosure reproduced in the SIT report, Sai Krishna died on May 12 after being shifted to an old building near Pentecost Church. Two accused allegedly transported his body on a two-wheeler before it was burnt at Swargapuri burial grounds. Corroboration remained under investigation; the supplied record contains no confirmed DNA identification.Phone trail and missing footageThe SIT alleged that Sai Krishna’s phone and SIM were taken to Goa and activated after his reported death to make him appear alive and absconding. It also alleged replacement of four station CCTV hard disks, removal of two entrance cameras and repainting over “dried blood-like stains”.On Oct 16, Justices Ravi Nath Tilhari and Alapati Giridhar ordered a CBI investigation, ₹25 lakh compensation to the mother and disciplinary proceedings against erring personnel. The bench found violations of Articles 21 and 22 and cited concerns including evidence removal and possible institutional bias.
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