Vijayawada cops to challenge Ayesha case verdict

VIJAYAWADA: A day after the

Hyderabad High Court

recommended disciplinary action against investigation officials for wrongfully implicating

Satyam Babu

in the

Ayesha Meera

rape-murder case and set him free, the Vijayawada police top brass on Saturday decided to challenge the verdict in the Supreme Court.

Commissioner of police

Gautam Sawang

said that they are planning to move the apex court after receiving the full copy of the judgment. "As far as the investigation was concerned, the DNA report was the best evidence against Satyam Babu. Once we get the judgment copy, we will challenge it in court," Sawang told TOI.

The verdict has come as a huge setback to police who had nailed Satyam after questioning 1,300 youngsters. Police claimed they conducted a thorough investigation and tested DNAs of 36 suspects and conducted polygraphic and writing sample tests on 49 persons.

"We also observed call data record of 30 suspects. And yet, the court said we didn't do a proper job and implicated a wrong person. This defies logic," a senior police official, who did not want to be named, told TOI.

A senior police officer, who was part of the investigation since the case broke out on December 27, 2007, said the DNA report had established Satyam's role. "Satyam tested positive in all the tests we conducted. He confessed to the crime and even narrated the sequence of crime scene. The DNA from the samples (semen, footprint and letter left in the hostel) collected from the spot matched with Satyam's DNA. Isn't it enough to prove his guilt?" he asked.