Tadikonda police have registered a case under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), corresponding to the erstwhile Section 174 of the Cr.P.C., and launched an investigation into the suspicious death of 30-year-old Chikati Gopi of Ponnekallu village in Tadikonda mandal.

According to a press release from the office of the District Superintendent of Police Vakul Jindal on Wednesday, Gopi was summoned to the Tadikonda police station on June 25 in connection with a theft case and was released the following day.

His family later noticed that he had developed a fever and took him to the Ponnekallu government hospital. On doctors’ advice, he was shifted to the Guntur Government Hospital and subsequently to the Tenali Government Hospital for further treatment.

He was undergoing treatment at Tenali until August 31, after which he was shifted back to the Guntur Government Hospital. Doctors declared him dead on September 1 after he complained of chest pain.

Following a written complaint from his wife, Jyothi, police registered a case under Section 194 of the BNSS.

Police said rumours were circulating that Gopi had died after being assaulted at the police station. The police said that CCTV footage from the Tadikonda police station had been examined so far and no evidence of physical assault on Gopi had been found.

To ensure an impartial investigation, Medikonduru Inspector M. Madhusudana Rao was appointed as the investigating officer. Police said the inquest and post-mortem procedures were completed and the body was handed over to the relatives.

The investigation is continuing. Police have appealed to people not to believe or circulate unverified information.

A man arrested in a theft case on July 8, 2026, reportedly died while in police custody in Nellore district on Wednesday.

The deceased has been identified as Yedukondalu, a native of Cherukumudi village in Manubolu mandal of the district. His family members and relatives alleged that he died due to ‘third-degree torture’ for three days while in custody at Manubolu police station.

Former Minister and YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) district president Kakani Govardhan Reddy and MLC Meriga Muralidhar visited Gudur Government Hospital to inspect Yedukondalu’s body. They consoled the family members, offered them moral support, and assured them of all possible assistance.

Addressing the media at the hospital, Mr. Kakani claimed, “Since N. Chandrababu Naidu became the Chief Minister, there has been no protection for people’s lives. To satisfy their vendetta, the leaders of the alliance government are victimising Dalits, tribals, weaker sections, and marginalised communities, as well as YSRCP leaders, activists and sympathisers.”

“After the police beat him up for three days, they finally released him on July 12, when his family members fell at the feet of Sub-Inspector (SI) Haneef and wept. He was asked to report to the station by July 13 (Monday). Unable to bear the pain, he could not make it to the station. On July 14 (Tuesday), the police went to his village in a private car and dragged him to the station,” the former Minister claimed.

“Yedukondalu lost consciousness and he was unable to step out of the car at the station. Instead of taking him to a hospital, the police drove him around outside from 3.30 p.m. to 6 p.m.. When he was brought to Gudur Government Hospital, the doctors confirmed that he was brought in dead. When we went to see his body, we observed severe injuries on his neck and back,” the YSRCP leader alleged.

“If a person dies within the jurisdiction of a police station, it must be treated unequivocally as a custodial death, he said.

Police responds

Meanwhile responding to the custodial death allegations, District Superintendent of Police (DSP) Ajitha Vejendla said, “All reports circulating about the case at Manubolu police station are false. Riyaz, Yedukondalu, and Prasad were identified as perpetrators in a chain-snatching incident. Upon serving Section 41 notice, they were questioned in accordance with the law.”

“The police come to know that Yedukondalu had also stolen 25 agricultural motors. After receiving information that he was in an unconscious state at the police station, the officials shifted him to the government hospital to save him. His health deteriorated there, and he passed away. The case is still under investigation,” she informed.

The Madurai district authorities on Tuesday (June 16, 2026) took the body of Akash Delison, 26, who died on March 8 allegedly due to custodial torture by the Manamadurai police, to the Thathaneri cremation yard, after his family members refused to receive his body.

Amid tight security, the body was transported from the mortuary of Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai, as family members, along with their supporters, staged a protest against the attempt to take the body. The move comes after the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesday directed the officials to take immediate steps for a dignified disposal of his mortal remains.

The family members said that they would go on appeal against the court order and sought more time for cremation. However, the officials told them that they would implement the court’s direction.

As tension mounted, 14 persons were taken into custody for trying to prevent the officials from shifting the body. However, the parents, sister, and uncle of Akash Delison were taken to Thathaneri cremation yard, where the body would be cremated.