Hyderabad: CBI takes over the probe of rape and murder case after 11 years

HYDERABAD: Eleven years after 19-year-old pharmacy student was raped and murdered in a Vijayawada hostel, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the probe of the sensational crime as per the high court’s directions.
The premier probe agency booked two cases, one pertaining to the rape and murder of the victim against unknown offenders and the second pertaining to destruction of evidence against court officials.
The B Pharmacy student, a native of Tenali in Guntur district, was found murdered at the Sri Durga Ladies Hostel in Ibrahimpatnam, Vijayawada, on December 27, 2007. The autopsy confirmed that she was also raped.
After the investigation, police arrested one P Satyam Babu. In 2009, a local court in Vijayawada convicted him and sentenced him to life imprisonment for raping and murdering the student.
However, Satyam Babu appealed against the conviction and on March 31, 2017, the Hyderabad high court acquitted him.
Subsequently, the writ petition filed by the parents of the victim was taken up for consideration by the high court and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) started a probe that was monitored by the high court.
During the investigation, it came to light that trial court records and material objects (evidence) number 1 to 14, pertaining to the rape and murder case, were destroyed on October 7, 2014, even before the high court could decide on the appeal filed by Satyam Babu.
As the destruction of evidence occurred during the pendency of criminal appeal against the conviction, high court called for a detailed enquiry and report through the Registrar General of the high court.
Based on the Registrar General’s report, on November 29, 2018, the high court ordered CBI to conduct a probe into the rape and murder case as well as the destruction of evidence.
The CBI team went through the enquiry report submitted by the principal district judge, Krishna district, to the Registrar General of the high court about the destruction of evidence and, on Thursday, registered a case against T Kumari, the then junior assistant/property clerk of Mahila Court at Vijayawada, Y Subba Reddy, the then senior assistant of Mahila Court at Vijayawada, and P Venkata Kumar, the then junior assistant/property clerk of the IVth Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court, Vijayawada, for entering into a criminal conspiracy and destroying material objects 1 to 14 (evidence) in the rape and murder case under sections 120-B, 201, 409 of the IPC and Section 13 (2) r/w 13 (1) (d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
CBI has also registered a separate case under sections 302 (murder) and 376 (rape) of the IPC against unknown persons and launched a probe into the rape and murder of teh student.