Vijayawada court remands suspended CI Nagaraju to 14-day judicial custody in custody death case

SIT tells court prima facie evidence points to custodial death; High Court adjourns hearing on CBI probe plea to July 6

Published - June 24, 2026 08:10 pm IST - VIJAYAWADA The Hindu Bureau

Police taking suspended CI Nagaraju to produce him in a court in Vijayawada on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: K.V.S. Giri

A court in Vijayawada on Wednesday remanded suspended Circle Inspector of Police S.S.V.V. Nagaraju to 14 days' judicial custody in connection with the custodial death case of G. Sai Krishna.

Mr. Nagaraju was subjected to a medical examination at the Government General Hospital in the morning and was later produced before the court by the Special Investigation Team (SIT). The court remanded him till July 8, following which he was shifted to the Central Jail at Rajamahendravaram.

The SIT arrested Mr. Nagaraju from Ajit Singh Nagar in Vijayawada on June 23. He is accused of illegally detaining Sai Krishna at Markapuram on May 9 and subsequently subjecting him to torture while in police custody in Vijayawada, allegedly causing injuries that proved fatal. Sai Krishna had been reported missing thereafter, prompting his mother to file a habeas corpus petition in the High Court.

According to sources, the SIT informed the court that prima facie evidence pointed to a custodial death and that Sai Krishna's death was allegedly linked to injuries sustained during police custody.

Meanwhile, the Andhra Pradesh High Court adjourned to July 6 the hearing on a public interest litigation seeking a CBI probe into Sai Krishna's death. Advocate General Dammalapati Srinivas submitted that the State government had constituted a SIT and that the investigation was being pursued in a serious and expeditious manner.

He also informed the court that Mr. Nagaraju had been produced before the Vijayawada court and that the investigation was progressing. The High Court observed that it would await further developments in the probe and take a decision after hearing all parties on the next date of hearing.