HYDERABAD: The fingerprints of the accused persons in the rape and murder of a veterinarian at Shadnagar in November 2019, on the weapons used by them to fire at the police party, couldn’t be traced on the weapons due to the rough surface of the weapons, the Investigation Officer (IO) J Surender Reddy told the Inquiry Commission during the cross examination on Saturday. He also said that the articles belonging to the veterinarian, which were recovered from the scene of occurrence, weren’t sent for forensic analysis either.
The IO also admitted that the fingerprints of the accused weren’t found on the pistol pouches of the police personnel, sticks and rods, which were allegedly used to attack the police party. During the cross examination, the IO was questioned on the location of the safe house, where the accused persons were lodged during police custody, which police officers were present there and what was done with the accused persons at the safe house. When the IO told the Commission that he had recorded the statement of the safe house owner twice, the counsel for the commission asked why the statement was not included in the records submitted to the Commission.
The counsel also questioned the IO if the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had inquired into the incident, to which the IO replied saying that he knew that the NHRC had examined others, but was not aware if the police officers were also examined. When asked if he collected the NHRC report on the incident, the IO stated that he had requested the magistrate for a copy of the report, but was told that the report was submitted to the High Court.
The IO during the cross examination informed the Commission that two of the accused had snatched weapons from the police party and fired at them, but their fingerprints were not found on them. He also told the Commission that the Finger Prints Bureau issued a report stating, “no article (weapon) with a favourable surface for chance prints were found at the scene of the incident.”
Further, when the IO stated that the weapons used by the police party to fire at the accused in defence, were seized after the incident and cotton swabs from the police officers for testing Gunshot Residue (GSR) were collected at 6 pm on December 6, 2019, the Commission’s counsel asked, “Is it not necessary to collect the cotton swabs for GSR test immediately after the incident.”
CONTRASTING TESTIMONIES
During the probe, when the IO had asked the SHO of Shadnagar Police station to provide CCTV footage, the SHO had orally informed him that the cameras at the police station were not working. However, the police department said that that there were no cameras installed at Shadnagar police station.