Prime accused in Panchayat Raj AE family suicide case arrested in UP : Kakinada SP
Kakinada, Aug 24 (TNT): The prime accused in the alleged suicide of a Panchayat Raj Assistant Engineer’s family of four in the Godavari river at Rajahmundry was arrested in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, and brought to Kakinada, police said on Monday.
Kakinada District Superintendent of Police Garikipati Bindu Madhav said a special investigation team (SIT), acting on credible information, apprehended Shaik Sadiq Khan in Meerut on August 22 with the assistance of local police.
The accused was produced before a magistrate in Meerut and brought to Kakinada on a transit warrant.
He was being produced before the Kakinada Special Mobile Judicial First Class Magistrate Court after undergoing medical examination, the SP said.
The incident came to light on August 15 when Kovvuri Sowjanya, wife of Jagadeesh Reddy, her parents Thillapudi Nookaraju and Thillapudi Meena, and her son Riyan Kartikeya Reddy allegedly jumped into the Godavari river. Riyan was the lone survivor.
Rajahmundry Two Town Police registered a case and during the investigation seized suicide notes allegedly naming Sadiq Khan as responsible for the incident.
According to the SP, Sowjanya Reddy’s suicide note alleged that Sadiq Khan had killed her husband Jagadeesh Reddy by administering chemical poison.
Following the suicide note, Jagadeesh Reddy’s father Kovvuri Bhaskara Reddy lodged a complaint at Sarpavaram Police Station on August 17, following which police began a detailed investigation.
In view of the seriousness of the case, the SP ordered a special investigation.
Additional SP (Administration) Dr Mahanti Kishore Kumar, who is also in-charge of the Kakinada Sub-Divisional Police Officer, constituted six teams to investigate the case.
The teams traced Sadiq Khan to Meerut and arrested him with the assistance of Uttar Pradesh Police before bringing him to Kakinada, police said.
Police are investigating the allegations contained in the suicide note, including the alleged role of Sadiq Khan in Jagadeesh Reddy’s death and other issues, including alleged religious conversion and threats to the family.
Mobile phones, digital evidence, CCTV footage, call data records, medical records, bank transactions and other material are being examined as part of the investigation, the SP said.
SP Bindu Madhav appreciated the personnel involved in tracing and apprehending the accused and announced special rewards for the members of the investigation teams.
The investigation was supervised by Additional SP Dr Mahanti Kishore Kumar and Special Branch DSP KVV Satyanarayana. The teams included police officials from Jaggampet, Tuni, Port, Crime Wing, IT Core, Indrapalem, Sarpavaram, Uppada Kothapalli and Special Branch units.
TNT TMR
