RRR Custodial Torture: Ex cop Vijay Paul arrested

Ongole: Prakasam SP A R Damodar and his team arrested the former additional SP of CID, K Vijay Paul, in connection with the custodial torture case of former MP and Undi MLA Raghura Ramakrishna Raju (RRR) here on Tuesday.

The case dates back to May 14, 2021, when the AP CID officials arrested the then Narasapur MP Raghurama in Hyderabad, on the charges of tarnishing the image of the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led Andhra Pradesh government.

The police booked the case under sections 50(2), 153, and 505 of the IPC, including a non-bailable section 124A of the IPC. After the arrest, Raghurama complained to the magistrate that he was tortured in custody, and the medical reports by the military hospital revealed that he suffered injuries.

After the change of government, Raghurama Krishna Raju filed a complaint with Nagarampalem police in Guntur. A case was filed against former CID DG Sunil Kumar, former Intelligence DG P Sitharamanjaneyulu, former chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy, CID additional SP K Vijay Paul, and GGH superintendent Prabhavathi. The investigation of the case is handled by Guntur police, CID and then handed over to Prakasam SP AR Damodar on October 14, as part of the efforts to expedite the case.

On November 13, Prakasam SP Damodar called the investigation officer of the case of RRR, the former additional SP of CID, Vijay Paul to Ongole for examination. For about 20 questions on the incidents occurred on the day of RRR’s arrest, Vijay Paul replied that he don’t know, he forgot and he can’t remember.

Meanwhile, Vijay Paul approached the High Court for anticipatory bail but got it rejected. The Supreme Court also rejected his Special Leave Petition for anticipatory bail on Monday. On Tuesday, Vijay Paul attended to the questioning by the Prakasam SP. Sources said that Vijay Paul was kept waiting in the district police office until late evening, and a team of police officials arrested him at around 9 PM.

The police shifted Vijay Paul to taluk police station and kept him in their custody. As the ECMO machine is said to be non-available at GGH Ongole, the police are planning to shift him to GGH Guntur in the early morning, after they prepare the remand report.