The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged custodial death of Gade Sai Krishna (25) took the then Krishnalanka Circle Inspector (CI) S.S.V.V. Nagaraju into custody on Tuesday (June 23, 2026).

“We took the suspended Krishnalanka CI into custody from a house at Ajitsingh Nagar, where he was hiding,” a senior police officer told The Hindu.

The police shifted the suspended officer to the Task Force office for questioning. They threw a security blanket around Ajitsingh Nagar as a precaution.

Missing since May 9

Sai Krishna, a native of Krishnalanka, was involved in a few cases. He has been missing since the police reportedly took him into custody on May 9, at Markapuram.

G. Vijaya Lakshmi, mother of Sai Krishna, who made rounds of the Krishnalanka police station and the NTR Police Commissionerate for her son, filed a habeas corpus petition in the High Court on June 2.

After the NTR Commissionerate police failed to produce Sai Krishna in court on June 15, the High Court directed the police to produce him on June 29.

Chief Minister reviewed

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, who inquired into the incident, directed DGP Harish Kumar Gupta to suspend Mr. Nagaraju, and the police registered a murder case against the CI on June 19.

The government issued an order on June 21, setting up a four-member Special Investigation Team to probe the illegal detention, custodial torture, death and screening of evidence in Sai Krishna’s case.

Supporters of the accused CI tried to obstruct the SIT during the operation. They attempted to stop the police vehicles and raised slogans to save Mr. Nagaraju.

The police also arranged security at the SIT office where the suspended CI is being questioned.