CBI asks people to share information on 12-year-old case of rape and murder of B.Pharma student

The CBI Monday asked people to provide it with information related to the case of rape and murder of a B.Pharma student in Vijaywada 12 years ago, taken up by the agency in December last year, officials said Monday.

"CBI wholeheartedly solicits any information related to the case and other details at mobile no. 9346590818 or by email at cbivijaywada@cbi.gov.in. We also assure identity of the informant will be kept secret," the agency said.

The student was allegedly raped and murdered in Vijaywada on December 27, 2007 and her body was found in the hostel where she was staying.

The state police, which was probing the case, booked a petty thief, Satyam Babu, for the murder, but the woman's parents said it was a diversionary tactics of the police to save the kin of an influential politician allegedly involved in the crime.

A Vijaywada court had convicted Satyam Babu to life imprisonment but on March 31, 2017 the order was overturned by the High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad which acquitted him.

The high court had also ordered action against police officials.

In January last year, the High Court decided to supervise probe by Special Investigation Team (SIT) but it was informed nine months later that records pertaining to the case have been destroyed in the trial court on October 7, 2014.

The High Court last year in November handed over the probe to the CBI asking it to not only investigate the rape-and-murder case, but also destruction of evidence.

Complying with the order, the agency registered two cases on December 27, 2018.