Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar’s son, Bandi Bhageerath, surrendered before the police on Saturday in connection with a POCSO case after the Cyberabad Police issued a look-out circular to prevent him from leaving the country after recording the victim and her parent's statement before a court.
In a statement, Bandi Sanjay Kumar, the Telangana BJP chief, said he had handed over his son to the police through advocates out of respect for the law and the ongoing investigation.
However, the claim was refuted by the Cyberabad Police Commissioner Ramesh, who said the accused was arrested from the outskirts of Hyderabad. "It was not a surrender," he added.
"My son has consistently said that he has committed no wrongdoing, and I had previously decided to hand him over to the police when the complaint was filed against him. Then, we handed over all the evidence to the legal teams, and after seeing it, they said that bail would be granted in the case. That is why there was a delay in the surrender. I have full respect for the judiciary," Bandi Sanjay said in a statement.
The Union Minister stated that everyone is equal before the law, whether an ordinary citizen or his own son, and stressed that all individuals must follow legal procedures. Earlier, the Telangana BJP leader had alleged that his family was being deliberately targeted and defamed.
According to him, the family had initially planned to present Bhageerath before the police immediately after the complaint was filed. However, after consulting legal experts and sharing available evidence with them, the lawyers reportedly advised that the case would likely be dismissed and that bail would certainly be granted, which led to the delay.
He added that the lawyers still believe bail is likely in the case, but he chose not to prolong the matter further and personally brought his son to be handed over through advocates for investigation.
POCSO case against Bandi Sanjay's son
The case is based on an FIR registered at the Petbasheerabad Police Station under Sections 74 and 75 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), relating to outraging modesty and sexual harassment, along with Sections 11 and 12 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
According to the complaint lodged by the victim’s mother, the accused allegedly entered into a relationship with her daughter in June 2025 on the false promise of marriage. The complaint further alleges that between October 2025 and January 2026, the girl was subjected to inappropriate physical behaviour and pressure to consume alcohol.
The FIR also states that after the relationship ended on January 7, the girl allegedly attempted self harm on two occasions later that month.
Meanwhile, Bhagirath described the case as a “counterblast” to a criminal complaint he had filed just hours earlier against the girl’s family at the Karimnagar II Town Police Station. In his complaint, he alleged that the girl’s parents tried to extort Rs 5 crore from him by threatening that their daughter would die by suicide if the money was not paid.
