Dubai: Minister of State for Home Affairs, Bandi Bhageerath Sai, has been appointed as the new Minister of State for Home Affairs. BJP MP Bandi Sanjay Kumarhas been arrested in a POCSO case after he allegedly admitted during interrogation that he sexually assaulted a minor girl, according to the Cyberabad Police.
The arrest came hours after the Telangana High Court refused to grant an interim extension protection from arrest for the 25-year-old, who was accused by a 17-year-old girl of sexual harassment and assault.
In a statement issued after midnight on Saturday, Cyberabad Police Commissioner M. Ramesh said Bhageerath was taken into custody near a technology park in Manchirevula under Narsingi police station limits following a naka-bandi operation based on “reliable information”.
Police said multiple teams had been searching for him in Karimnagar, Delhi and other places, while a “Look Out” circular had also been issued.
“On reliable information that the accused was moving near the police academy, the naka gang was organized today,” the commissioner said, adding that the Special Operations Team nabbed Bhageerath around 8:15 pm on May 16 and transferred him to the Pet Basheerabad police station.
According to the police, Bhageerath was interrogated in the presence of witnesses and “admitted to having committed the said offence”, after which he was formally arrested.
He was later produced before a magistrate and remanded in custody for two weeks.
The case was initially registered on May 8 under the provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act (POCSO) and sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). After the victim’s statement, the police added more serious charges under Section 64(2)(m) of the IPC and Section 5(l) read with Section 6 of the POCSO Act.
Late night hearing
The victim’s statement was also recorded before a judge under Section 183 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
During a late-night hearing on Friday, Justice T Madhavi Devi of the Telangana High Court refused to pass any interim order protecting Bhageerath from arrest.
His lawyer argued that the complainant’s mother had previously described the relationship between the two as cordial and consensual. The plea was strongly opposed by the survivor’s lawyer.
Bhageerath has denied the allegations, claiming he was the target of a “honey trap and extortion attempt”. He alleged that the girl’s family pressured him to marry her and demanded Rs 5 crore.
Reacting to the arrest, Bandi Sanjay Kumar said he had instructed his son to fully cooperate with the investigators and asserted that “everyone is equal before the law”.
“With utmost respect for the law and the judiciary, today my son Bandi Bhageerath went before the Telangana police through our lawyers for investigation,” the minister wrote in X.
He added that although legal proceedings were continuing and court orders were expected next week, he believed there should be “no hesitation” in cooperating with the investigation and expressed confidence in the justice system.
The BJP leader also dismissed the allegations earlier as “false propaganda” spread by political opponents.
— With IANS inputs
