Almost a decade after the death of Ayesha Meera, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) finally reopened the case and began re-investigating it.
Ayesha Meera, a 17-year-old pharmacy student from Vijayawada, was brutally killed on 27 December, 2007. Her body was found outside the toilet on the second floor of the Sri Durga Ladies Hostel in Ibrahimpatnam, where she was staying.
According to reports, the SIT, led by DIG Ch Srikanth, visited the spot of the crime scene and examined the area. They also cross-checked documents and material evidence collected from the crime scene.
Additionally, the SIT tried to re-construct the scene and visited her room, the rest room and the varandah where her body was found, examining the position, blood stains and other such details.
Background
Last month, a division bench of the Hyderabad High Court ordered a reinvestigation into the sensational case.
The court said that the investigation must be done under its purview and that the first SIT report must be submitted by April 28.
In August 2008, almost a year after she was killed and after the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) took up the case, the police arrested Satyam Babu.
Satyam Babu was arrested in a cell phone robbery case on August 17 that year, and the police claimed that he had confessed to Ayesha’s murder during interrogation.
In 2010, the Mahila Sessions Court in Vijayawada sentenced him to life imprisonment for Ayesha’s rape and murder.
Ayesha’s parents had earlier alleged that relatives of former state Municipal Administration Minister Koneru Ranga Rao were involved in the rape and murder, and that the police had pinned the crime on Satyam Babu to misdirect the investigation.
In April 2017, Satyam Babu was acquitted by the Hyderabad High Court. The court also ordered action to be taken against the police officials who investigated the case.
The government has decided to re-investigate the case and constituted a SIT. The government also conveyed the same to the high court which agreed for the re-investigation and said that it would monitor the case. The court also told the police to submit regular status reports on the process of investigation.
IANS Inputs