VISAKHAPATNAM: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) along with the Visakhapatnam city police has expedited investigation into Jagan attack case. SIT in-charge and ACP Nageswara Rao, DCP Fakeerappa and city police commissioner Maheshchandra Laddha personally monitored the inquiry sessions of prime accused J Srinivasa Rao and his restaurant colleague Revathipathi and another woman and prime accused’s cousin Vijayalakshmi at the Airport Police Station here on Sunday.
The Airport police filed the remand report in the Visakhapatnam- VII Additional Metropolitan Magistrate Court on Saturday evening requesting 15 days’ police custody of the accused to complete further investigation. However, the court permitted only one-week police custody — up to November 2.
The CISF also conducted an inquiry into the security lapses at the Vizag Airport. They also questioned several department staff and restaurant staff. The SIT has been continuing its probe into the financial position of Srinivasa Rao’s family members and friends and their links to any suspicious persons at Thane Lanka village in Mummidivaram mandal of East Godavari district.
On Sunday, SIT officials along with the local police interrogated J Venkata Subbaraju, the elder brother of Srinivasa Rao, and collected information regarding their political connections and financial status. As they found that the accused changed his SIM card a few days before the attack, SIT officials are verifying the call data and the persons whom the accused had contacted frequently after the new SIM was inserted. “Though the accused used a number of phones and SIM cards, his present phone, which we seized, is an old model one. It took more time to extract the call data from it. But definitely, we will get full information and find out with whom he spoke to and what was discussed very soon,” an official of SIT told TNIE on Sunday.
Interestingly, a new information came to light that the rooster-fight knife which was used in the Jagan attack, vanished from the airport for some time after the attack. Later, when it returned to the CISF/Police personnel, it was reportedly cleaned and there were no blood/serum traces on it. The weapon was washed by someone before it was handed over to the investigation agency.
This information raised new doubts and now SIT officials are inquiring this aspect also. They are going to question some of the eyewitnesses about the murder attempt on the Opposition Leader in the airport’s VIP lounge.