Bandi Bhageerath’s Counsel Disputes Arrest Claim, Says He Voluntarily Surrendered in POCSO Case

Hyderabad, May 2026 : The counsel representing Bandi Bhageerath, son of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar, on Sunday disputed the Cyberabad Police’s claim that he was arrested in connection with a POCSO case, asserting instead that the accused had voluntarily surrendered and cooperated with investigators.

The clarification came hours after a magistrate remanded Bhageerath to 14 days of judicial custody in the case registered under provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Bhageerath’s lawyer, Karuna Sagar, accused the police of creating a “misleading narrative” by portraying his client’s voluntary appearance before investigators as an arrest.

“In fact, he voluntarily surrendered before the SOT Cyberabad Police and has fully cooperated with the investigation process in accordance with the law,” the counsel said in a statement.

“The attempt to portray a voluntary appearance and cooperation as an ‘arrest’ is misleading and creates a false public narrative,” he added.

The lawyer also urged the media and public to distinguish between a voluntary surrender and a custodial arrest.

The Cyberabad Police, however, maintained that Bhageerath had been formally arrested on Saturday night after being taken into custody by the Special Operations Team (SOT).

In an official statement issued shortly after midnight, Cyberabad Police Commissioner M. Ramesh said the accused was apprehended near Tech Park at Manchirevula under the Narsingi Police Station limits.

“Based on reliable information, the SOT team of Cyberabad apprehended the accused Bhageerath near Tech Park, Manchirevula, and took him into custody at 8.15 p.m. on May 16,” the statement said.

Police said he was subsequently shifted to the Pet Basheerabad Police Station, where he was examined by the Investigating Officer in the presence of panch witnesses.

According to the police statement, Bhageerath later admitted to the offence during questioning, following which he was formally arrested.

“The accused admitted to have committed the said offence. Hence, the Investigating Officer arrested him,” the statement added.

After undergoing medical examination, Bhageerath was produced before a magistrate, who remanded him to judicial custody. He was later shifted to jail.

The case was registered on May 8 at the Pet Basheerabad Police Station following a complaint by a minor girl alleging sexual assault.

Police stated that during the course of investigation, statements of the victim and other witnesses were recorded. Based on the victim’s statement, investigators added more stringent charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the POCSO Act.

The revised charges include Section 64(2)(m) of the BNS and Section 5(1) read with Section 6 of the POCSO Act, which relate to aggravated penetrative sexual assault and carry severe punishment.

Kukatpally Deputy Commissioner of Police Ritiraj was assigned to supervise the investigation.

Police also confirmed that the victim’s statement was recorded before a magistrate under Section 183 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).

Union Minister Bandi Sanjay had earlier posted on social media platform X that his son had not been arrested but had voluntarily appeared before the police for questioning in the presence of two lawyers.

The controversy over the arrest came a day after the Telangana High Court declined to grant interim protection from arrest to Bhageerath.

Justice T. Madhavi Devi, while hearing the plea, observed that she was not inclined to grant interim relief after reviewing the victim’s statement.

Meanwhile, Bhageerath has also filed a counter-complaint in Karimnagar alleging that the victim’s family attempted to extort Rs 5 crore by threatening to implicate him in a false case.

Police had earlier served a notice directing him to appear before the investigating officer on May 13. However, he did not appear on that date and instead sought additional time through a written communication sent to investigators.

(The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)