Cops likely to conduct narco test on him to verify his confession
Hyderabad:The Meerpet police filed a custody petition for P. Gurumurthy, who killed his wife Venkata Madhavi, dismembered her body, boiled and burned the parts and disposed of them in a lake. The police are likely to conduct a narco test on him during the custody to verify his confession.
Teams have already reconstructed the crime scene twice. Another attempt may bring new details and could help in avoiding any lapses and provide crucial insights into the sequence of events that led to the murder, said a police officer involved in the investigation.
The officer said that the court was considering the grounds for granting the accused’s custody to the police. The police may conduct a narco test, also called truth serum test, which could provide further clarity on the accused’s motives and his state of mind at the time of the crime.
According to the World Journal of Pharmaceutical and Medical Research, truth serum test or narco analysis or narco test is an investigative tool, which involves the injection of a substance capable of sending the subject into a hypnotic state, which could compel him or her to reveal the truth. This test is used mainly by investigating agencies as an less coercive alternative to torture to extract information from crime suspects.
Public prosecutor Prathap Reddy said that the police, while filing the custody petition, must justify the grounds for seeking narco test and the magistrate will grant the permission after reviewing the petition.
An expert will sedate the accused, followed by recording the statement and an expert report will be presented to the magistrate. However, this being considered as scientific evidence, the report plays a major role.
According to a police officer, consent is crucial. The accused will be summoned by issuing notices to him seeking his consent. If the accused is in jail, he will receive notice through the jail superintendent.
When the accused is presented before the court, he can either agree or disagree for taking the narco test. The accused will be interrogated by the investigating officer in the presence of a team consisting of doctors including physician, anesthetist, and psychologist.
Though the police connected with the investigation did not reveal details pertaining to the legalities of the petition as the investigation is undergoing, the officer said the police did not want to leave any stone unturned and will work towards conviction.
It can also be recalled that the police said Gurumurthy may be misleading them and a narco test will help them to verify the facts.
