Cyberabad police send teams in search of Bandi Bhageerath absconding in POCSO case

Cyberabad police have launched searches in Delhi and Karimnagar for Bandi Bhageerath, son of Union Minister Bandi Sanjay, in a POCSO sexual assault case involving a minor. The accused has sought anticipatory bail while police intensified investigation and added stricter legal charges

 Hyderabad: Cyberabad police has sent teams to Delhi and Karimnagar in search of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Bandi Sanjay’s son Bandi Bhageerath allegedly involved in a sexual assault on a minor girl.

As Bhageerath failed to appear before police on Wednesday despite a notice being served on him, the police sent teams to Delhi and Karimnagar to arrest him in the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) case registered against him.

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Pet Basheerabad police reportedly sent a second notice to Bhageerath’s uncle in Karimnagar as it was the last identified location of his mobile phone. Bhageerath on Wednesday sent a letter to Station House Officer of Pet Basheerabad Police Station, seeking two days’ time to appear before him.

The Central minister’s son has approached Telangana High Court for interim bail. His petition is scheduled to come up for hearing on Thursday before a Vacation Bench. Bhageerath’s lawyer is going to argue in the court that the girl is not a minor and hence POCSO can’t be applied in the case.

The accused’s legal team is alleged to have evidence of the victim’s real age as per purported records produced previously in a court in a road accident case.

Meanwhile, posters have appeared in Karimnagar, claiming that Bhageerath is absconding. They appealed to people to inform police if they find him. The posters carry picture of Bhageerath along with his father Bandi Sanjay, who is a Member of Parliament from Karimnagar.

Similar posters had come up in parts of Hyderabad on Wednesday. It was not known who is behind these posters. A case under the POCSO Act was registered against Bhageerath on May 8 at Pet Basheerabad Police Station for alleged sexual assault on a 17-year-old girl.

On a complaint by the victim that Bhageerath sexually assaulted her at a farmhouse in Moinabad, the police registered a case under Section 11 r/w 12 of POCSO Act and Sections 74 and 75 of BNS.

On Monday, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy directed Director General of Police, CV Anand to initiate an investigation in the case. The same day Deputy Commissioner of Police Ritiraj was appointed to supervise the investigation. She spoke to the victim on Tuesday to gather more details.

Subsequently, police invoked harsher provisions of POCSO Act. Section 5 (1) read with 6 was added to the FIR. The section deals with aggravated penetrative sexual assault and caries a punishment that may extend up to 20 years imprisonment or more.