Telangana Constitutes Special Investigation Team for POCSO Case Involving Union Minister's Son

Hyderabad: A Special Investigation Team has been established by the Telangana government to examine allegations in a POCSO case involving Bandi Bhageerath, the son of Union Minister Bandi Sanjay.

Kukatpally DCP Rithiraj has been tasked with leading the investigation following instructions from Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy. The decision came after DGP C.V. Anand presented details of the case to the Chief Minister during a review meeting held on Monday.

Revanth Reddy directed the police department to expedite the investigation into the matter, which had been registered at Pet Basheerabad police station. He expressed concern about the time elapsed since the complaint was filed on May 8, seeking clarification on the delay. The DGP explained that police personnel had been engaged in security operations related to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Hyderabad.

Following the Chief Minister's intervention, he instructed the DGP to establish dedicated teams to conduct a comprehensive inquiry. The SIT was subsequently formed under IPS officer Rithiraj.

According to the complaint, a 17-year-old girl and her parents alleged that Bandi Bhageerath engaged in inappropriate conduct with the minor during a New Year's Eve celebration at a farmhouse located in Moinabad. The complaint further stated that similar incidents allegedly occurred on multiple other occasions.

In a related development, authorities in Karimnagar have registered a separate case against the victim and her parents based on a complaint submitted by Bandi Bhageerath. He claimed that the victim's family demanded Rs 5 crore and made attempts to extort money from him.