The crime investigation department (CID) of Andhra Pradesh police on Thursday questioned senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of Bihar cadre M Sunil Naik in connection with the alleged custodial assault case involving former Narasapuram MP and current assembly deputy speaker K Raghu Ramakrishnam Raju in May 2021, people familiar with the matter said.
Naik, currently serving as the inspector general, fire and homeguards services in Bihar, appeared at the central crime police station in Guntur, where a team of CID officials, led by Vizianagaram superintendent of police Damodar, who is the investigating officer in the case, grilled him for nearly seven hours, the police said.
The investigators sought explanations from Sunil Naik regarding the circumstances under which the alleged custodial harassment took place. “However, Naik provided only partial or evasive responses during the questioning,” an officer in connection with the investigation said.
As per the directions of the Andhra Pradesh high court, Sunil Naik will be questioned between March 5 and March 9 in connection with the case.
Raju was arrested in May 2021 from his residence in Hyderabad and moved to the CID regional office in Guntur, where he was reportedly kept overnight.
According to the police, Sunil Naik—who was then serving as CID DIG—had visited the CID regional office several times on the night Raju was detained. Based on these findings, investigators included Naik as the seventh accused in the case.
Although multiple notices were earlier issued directing him to appear for questioning, Naik failed to comply. Police even arrested him in Patna, Bihar, but were unable to bring him to Andhra Pradesh due to the absence of a transit warrant.
Subsequently, Naik approached the Andhra Pradesh high court seeking anticipatory bail. The court directed him to appear before the investigating officer and cooperate with the inquiry from March 5 to March 9.
www.hindustantimes.com
#Bihar #questioned #hours #custodial #assault #India #News
