HYDERABAD: Engineering student Hari Hara Krishna, the main accused in the murder of batchmate Nenavat Naveen, was on Thursday sent to the Cherlapally jail after a medical test, as the seven-day police custody ended.
While the police petitioned the court for police custody of Krishna’s friends Katta Naharika and Hassan — both of whom were aware of the murder but failed to inform the police — the court turned them down.
According to the police, Krishna had taken a cue from the Hindi film ‘Drishyam’, in which the lead actor murders the villain and destroys the evidence, but gives up his secret anyway.
Krishna allegedly surrendered to the police to misguide the investigation and protect Niharika, with whom he was in a relationship, and Hassan, a close friend.
Police sources said that after recording Niharika and Hassan’s statements, they will also question other friends of the duo and probe the involvement of Niharika’s relatives.
The police said that Niharika’s brother-in-law, around 10 am on February 21, told Naveen’s friends that Niharika did not know about the victim’s whereabouts when her friends called to enquire. Also, Krishna met Niharika at her residence around 8 am on February 18, a day after Naveen was murdered.
They said that Hassan apprised Niharika of the police investigation after he was questioned. On February 24, when Krishna surrendered, Hassan sent a message to Niharika on Instagram that read: “Niharika, don't call anyone... don't talk to anyone...”
Further, the police said that Niharika also informed her uncle about the murder after Krishna surrendered.
The police said Krishna consumed ganja before murdering Naveen and are on the lookout for peddlers involved.
