Hyderabad: Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay’s son and POCSO accused Bandi Sai Bhageerath is missing, Kukatpally Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Ritiraj told reporters Tuesday. Meanwhile, Bhageerath moved the Telangana High Court for interim bail the same day, and the case is expected to come up for hearing on 14 May.
Bhageerath, 25, has been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, for allegedly sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl in Hyderabad.
Bandi Bhageerath went missing in the early hours of Tuesday, police personnel told ThePrint.
DCP Ritiraj, who was also appointed special officer in the case, spoke to the media at the Pet Basheerabad police station where the case has been registered: “We are analysing his call record data (CDR) to trace his whereabouts. I have discussed the case with the Station House Officer (SHO) and we have come up with an action plan for investigation.”
The Union Minister’s son was booked on 8 May under Sections 74 (assault or criminal force against a woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 75 (sexual harassment) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Sections 11 and 12 of the POCSO Act. The complaint was filed by the minor’s mother.
The FIR also stated that Bandi Sanjay’s son had allegedly been harassing the girl for over six months and had misbehaved with her at a farmhouse in Moinabad. The complainant stated that the two came in contact through common friends and that Bhageerath took undue advantage of their closeness.
The case came to light a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first visit to Hyderabad since assuming power for the third time in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The state BJP has distanced itself from the case.
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy directed the state Director General of Police (DGP) to expedite the investigation. On 11 May, the CM directed CV Anand, the Telangana police chief, to immediately initiate an inquiry.
Meanwhile, the principal opposition party in the state, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), continued to press for Bandi Sanjay’s removal from the Union Cabinet. BRS women leaders urged Telangana State Commission for the Protection of Child Rights chairperson Kothakota Seetha Dayakar Reddy, to constitute a special committee to probe the matter.
Former IPS officer and BRS leader RS Praveen Kumar questioned the effectiveness of the Telangana police in not taking Bhageerath into preventive custody.
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