South Africa tour of India 2019
Cyberabad Police Intensify Search for Bandi Bhageerath
Cyberabad police have intensified their search for Bandi Bhageerath, son of Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar, in connection with a Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) case involving an alleged sexual assault on a minor girl.
Police teams have reportedly been dispatched to Delhi and Karimnagar after Bhageerath failed to appear before investigators despite receiving official notices.
According to reports, Pet Basheerabad police issued a second notice to Bhageerath’s uncle in Karimnagar, as the location was identified as the last active point of his mobile phone. Bhageerath later wrote to the Station House Officer requesting two additional days before appearing for questioning.
Meanwhile, his legal team has approached the Telangana High Court seeking interim anticipatory bail. The matter is scheduled to be heard before a vacation bench.
The defence is expected to argue that the complainant is not a minor and therefore the POCSO Act should not apply in the case. Lawyers representing Bhageerath reportedly possess documents they claim establish the victim’s age based on records previously submitted in a separate road accident case.
As the investigation intensified, posters claiming that Bhageerath was absconding appeared in parts of Karimnagar and Hyderabad. The posters urged the public to inform police if they located him. Authorities have not yet confirmed who printed or distributed the posters.
The case was originally registered on May 8 after a 17-year-old girl alleged that Bhageerath sexually assaulted her at a farmhouse in Moinabad. Police initially booked the case under Sections 11 and 12 of the POCSO Act along with Sections 74 and 75 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Following directions from Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, senior police officials strengthened the investigation and added harsher legal provisions, including Section 5 read with Section 6 of the POCSO Act dealing with aggravated penetrative sexual assault, which carries severe punishment extending up to 20 years or more.
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