CPM leader murder: Khammam cops seek court nod for polygraph test on 24 persons

Hyderabad: With no significant leads in the murder of Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Samineni Rama Rao, 70, in the last two months, Khammam police have recently approached a local court seeking to subject 24 persons undergo a polygraph test. Perhaps, this is for the first time polygraph test for such a large number of persons has ever been sought.This rare request by investigators is now under the consideration of the criminal court. Chinthakani police, under the Khammam police commissionerate, cited 24 persons as responders, which included members associated with Congress and CPM.Rama Rao, a former state committee member in the united Andhra Pradesh, was murdered on Oct 31, in the run-up to the local bodies election, by slitting his throat and stabbing him in the stomach near his residence at Patharlapadu village in Khammam. Police commissioner Sunil Dutt, after the murder, said in a statement then that five teams were formed to crack the murder case.With no decisive breakthrough, based on the investigation done so far, police had identified 24 suspects, which included Congress, CPM members and local villagers, whom they wanted to put through a polygraph test to elicit the truth. "The concerned Congress leaders gave their willingness to take the test, but a few other suspects contested in court, citing various reasons. The matter is still pending before the court," sources privy to the development told TOI. Any security agency could subject a suspect or an accused undergo a polygraph test only if the concerned person gives consent.A polygraph test has been used in several cases, including by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) while probing the rape and murder of a doctor at RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata in 2024. Similarly, in August, Jagtial police had cracked a murder case by using a polygraph test and arrested the victim's son and daughter-in-law.Khammam police reportedly plan to take the suspects to either Bengaluru or other states if the court gives consent. Earlier, Rama Rao's family members suspected a political grudge. Police found that Rama Rao had been keeping away from active politics for the several months.