Published Jun 18, 2026 | 1:55 PM ⚊ Updated Jun 18, 2026 | 3:06 PM
Gade Sai Krishna (Credit: @revathitweets on X)
Synopsis: The Andhra Pradesh government has suspended Krishna Lanka Circle Inspector Nagaraju and ordered an independent inquiry into the disappearance of Gade Sai Krishna, a 25-year-old man from Vijayawada whose family has alleged custodial torture and a police cover-up. Sai Krishna has been missing since 9 May, when his mother alleges he was picked up by Krishna Lanka police, and the Andhra Pradesh High Court has directed the police to trace him and produce him before the court.
The Andhra Pradesh government on Wednesday, 17 June, suspended Krishna Lanka Circle Inspector (CI) Nagaraju and ordered an impartial investigation by a senior IPS officer into the disappearance of Gade Sai Krishna, a 25-year-old man from Vijayawada whose family has alleged custodial torture and a police cover-up.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu reviewed the case with senior police officials and directed that the inquiry be conducted independently amid a political storm in the state.
“The government has taken the disappearance of Gade Sai Krishna from Vijayawada’s Krishna Lanka seriously. It has decided to suspend Inspector Nagaraju from the police station concerned in this matter,” the Chief Minister’s Office said in a statement.
విజయవాడ కృష్ణలంకకు చెందిన గాదె సాయికృష్ణ అదృశ్యం ఘటనను ప్రభుత్వం సీరియస్ గా తీసుకుంది. ఈ వ్యవహారంలో సంబంధిత పోలీస్ స్టేషన్ ఇన్స్పెక్టర్ నాగరాజును సస్పెండ్ చేస్తూ నిర్ణయం తీసుకుంది. ఈ ఘటనపై సచివాలయంలో గౌరవ ముఖ్యమంత్రి శ్రీ నారా చంద్రబాబు నాయుడు నేడు పోలీసు ఉన్నతాధికారులతో…
— CMO Andhra Pradesh (@AndhraPradeshCM) June 17, 2026
Sai Krishna’s mother, Gade Vijaya Lakshmi, has alleged that her son was picked up by Krishna Lanka police in NTR district from Markapuram in Prakasam district on 9 May and has been missing since.
On 4 June, she filed a habeas corpus petition before the Andhra Pradesh High Court, seeking a direction to the authorities to produce her son before the court, even if he was no longer alive.
The petition named the State of Andhra Pradesh, the Director General of Police, the Commissioner of Police for NTR district, and the Station House Officers of Krishna Lanka and Markapuram police stations as respondents.
The High Court subsequently directed the Station House Officer of Krishna Lanka police station to locate Sai Krishna and produce him before the concerned court by 15 June.
However, on 15 June, the office of the Advocate General of Andhra Pradesh, appearing on behalf of the respondents, informed the court that Sai Krishna’s whereabouts were unknown and that steps were being taken to trace him and produce him before the court.
Also Read: YS Jagan calls DSC recruitment a ‘mega’ scam; demands CBI probe
Advocate KV Aditya Chowdary, who is representing Vijaya Lakshmi, alleged before the court that Sai Krishna might have died after being subjected to custodial torture and that the police were deliberately covering up the facts.
The High Court directed the police to take immediate steps to produce Sai Krishna before the court at the earliest. The matter has been posted to 29 June.
Speaking to the media outside the Andhra Pradesh High Court, Vijaya Lakshmi said that two constables from Krishna Lanka police station came to her house on 9 May and took her to the police station, where she was questioned about her son’s whereabouts and her mobile phone was confiscated.
She also accused CI Nagaraju of threatening her.
“He said that he would kill my son and that I should not have any hope,” she alleged.
“What happened to me and my son should never happen to anyone else. If my son is alive, please show him to me. If not, at least give me his ashes. Tell me where he is, and I’ll go there. I do not want to be caught in the middle of this dirty politics.”
Vijaya Lakshmi said she had repeatedly visited Krishna Lanka police station since then but had not received any information about her son.
Advocate KV Aditya told South First that Vijaya Lakshmi approached him on 2 June after Krishna Lanka police allegedly refused to provide any information regarding her son’s disappearance. According to him, she also shared eyewitness accounts of Sai Krishna being picked up from Markapuram.
“I think only an independent, national-level inquiry can do justice in this case,” he added.
People from the local bar association and other alleged victims accompanied Vijaya Lakshmi and claimed that the Krishna Lanka PS was notorious for custodial torture.
Meanwhile, several unconfirmed reports alleged that Sai Krishna was a history-sheeter facing investigation in multiple cases. The family has rejected these allegations.
The Sub-Inspector of Police at Krishna Lanka PS told South First that no FIR had been registered against Sai Krishna and declined to confirm whether he had been picked up by the police, as alleged by the family.
Also Read: Mass suspensions at Vizag Steel Plant following inquiry into 8 June tragedy
The case has triggered a political storm in Andhra Pradesh.
Former minister and YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) leader Ambati Rambabu alleged that Sai Krishna was murdered by the police and later cremated to conceal the crime.
He questioned the government over the state of law and order in the state.
Leaders of the YSRCP and the Congress have demanded the release of CCTV footage from Krishna Lanka police station.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
