Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar's son, Bageerath, was sent to 14-day judicial custody by a magistrate in the POCSO case. Bhageerath, who was arrested on Saturday night, was produced before a Magistrate at his residence at Medchal around midnight. He has been remanded to judicial custody till May 29.
Will come out clean: Lawyer
Advocate Karunasagar, the counsel for Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar's son Bandi Bhageerath, said, "I, along with Anthony Reddy, Senior Advocate, have surrendered Bandi Bhageerath to the police at about 8.15 pm near Tech Park. The police have taken the custody of Bandi Bhageerath...We have cooperated with the investigation...Bandi Bhageerath has given all the information and has readily agreed to cooperate with the investigation...Bandi Bhageerath has been brought to the magistrate, where the magistrate has remanded Bandi Bhageerath to judicial custody till the 29th of May. We have full confidence in the investigation, judicial procedure. We are very confident that we will be cleared of these allegations and we will come out clean. We have surrendered ourselves voluntarily to the police. I don't think we need to give any explanation regarding the same..."
Bageerath was apprehended
In a release issued after midnight, the Cyberabad Police said multiple teams were dispatched to Karimnagar, Delhi and several other locations to apprehend Bageerath. Police teams also conducted searches at places frequently visited by him, including the residences of his acquaintances.
Acting on specific intelligence inputs that Bageerath was near the police academy in the city, the police organised a naka bandi (checkpoint operation), the release added.
Based on reliable information, the Special Operations Team (SOT) of the Cyberabad police eventually apprehended Bageerath at Manchirevula, within the Narsingi police limits, and took him into custody on Saturday night. He was then shifted to the Petbasheerabad police station.
Bageerath was examined by the investigation officer in the presence of 'panch witnesses' (unbiased citizens). "The accused admitted to having committed the offence. Hence, the IO arrested him," the release said.
Following a medical examination, Bageerath was produced before a magistrate, who remanded him to judicial custody.
Victim's statement recorded
As part of the investigation, the statements of the alleged victim (17) and her mother, who is the complainant in the case, were recorded before a magistrate on Saturday.
The statement is recorded to ensure that accounts are reliably documented and to prevent individuals from changing their testimonies during trial.
However, Bandi Sanjay said he had asked his son to appear before the police and join the probe. "Satya Meva Jayate. With utmost respect for the law and judiciary, today my son Bandi Bageerath went before the Telangana Police through our advocates for investigation," the Union Minister said in a post on X.
The development came a day after the Telangana High Court refused to grant interim protection from arrest to Bageerath.
Meanwhile, Telangana Rakshana Sena (TRS) president K Kavitha, in a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanded the removal of Sanjay Kumar, MoS (Home), from the Union Cabinet "to ensure a free and fair investigation in the POCSO case involving his son."
POCSO case against Bageerath
A case was registered against Bageerath on May 8 under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act based on a complaint filed by the mother of a 17-year-old girl, who alleged that he was in a relationship with her daughter and had sexually harassed her.
Police said more stringent sections of the POCSO Act were added after the girl’s statement was recorded.
Bageerath had also filed a counter-complaint, alleging that the girl, who had become acquainted with him, had invited him to family functions and group gatherings. An FIR was subsequently registered based on his complaint as well.
In his complaint, Bageerath claimed that, considering the girl's family trustworthy, he accompanied them on visits to certain religious places along with a group of friends.
He further alleged that the girl and her parents later pressured him to marry her. According to him, after he refused the proposal, the girl's parents allegedly demanded money and threatened to file false cases against him if he did not comply.
Bageerath claimed that he paid Rs 50,000 to the girl's father out of fear, but later the family allegedly demanded Rs 5 crore. He also alleged that they threatened that the girl's mother would die by suicide if their demands were not met.
Also Read: Police say Bandi Sanjay's son apprehended in POCSO case, refute Union Minister's surrender claim
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