Telangana Police appoint woman IPS officer to supervise POCSO case against Bandi Sanjay’s son

Hyderabad: The noose appears to be tightening around Bandi Sai Bhageerath, the 25-year-old son of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar.

Bageerath was booked at Pet Basheerabad Police Station on May 8, 2026, under Sections 74 and 75 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 11 and 12 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, following allegations of sexual harassment made by the family of a 17-year-old girl.

Amid mounting criticism over delays in launching the probe, Telangana Police on Monday appointed Kukatpally DCP Ritiraj, a senior woman IPS officer, to personally supervise the investigation.

The complaint alleged that the incident occurred at a farmhouse in Moinabad on December 31, 2025.

According to the report submitted by Pet Basheerabad Station House Officer Inspector K. Vijayavardhan to the IX Additional Judicial First Class Magistrate, Cyberabad, at Medchal, the complainant the minor girl's mother described a sustained pattern of grooming, emotional manipulation and sexual exploitation beginning in June 2025.

The FIR was registered as Case No. 684/2026.

The accused allegedly maintained a close relationship with the girl under a false promise of marriage and, by gaining psychological control over her, isolated her from her support network and subjected her to repeated physical and sexual abuse at various locations primarily farmhouses on the outskirts of Hyderabad.

The complainant's four-page written account, submitted to the court by the SHO, names specific apartments and farmhouses where the alleged exploitation took place.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, who also holds the Home portfolio, questioned Telangana DGP CV Anand over why action had not been taken sooner, given that the complaint was filed on May 8.

The DGP explained that police resources had been committed to security arrangements for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Hyderabad, leaving the force unable to immediately pursue the POCSO case.

The Chief Minister's Office has since made clear that police will now focus their full attention on the matter.

DCP Ritiraj has been directed to ensure the investigation is conducted in a proper, fair, and professional manner, examining all relevant aspects of the case without deviation or negligence. She is required to personally monitor the progress of the investigation and submit a daily report to the DGP.

Intriguingly, hours before the FIR was registered against him at Pet Basheerabad Police Station, Bageerath filed a counter-complaint at a police station in Karimnagar, his hometown naming the minor girl and her parents and accusing them of intimidation and extortion.

The opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has been mounting pressure for Bageerath's immediate arrest. BRS workers staged protests demanding swift action, and the party's women leaders met the State Women's Commission Chairperson to press for intervention.

The Telangana State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has also taken suo motu cognisance of the matter, directing the Commissioner of Police, Cyberabad Metropolitan Police Commissionerate, to inquire into the case and furnish a status report on high priority.

The BJP, meanwhile, has sought to distance itself from the controversy. State BJP President Ramchander Rao stated that the party has no connection to the Bandi Bhageerath case and that the law would take its own course.

He did, however, suggest that an inquiry be conducted if there is any evidence of interference by members of Bandi Sanjay's family.

On May 9, Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar dismissed the allegations as a political hit job orchestrated to malign him ahead of the Prime Minister's programme in Hyderabad.

Meeting with Sanjay

The minor girl's mother in the complaint also claimed that one Sangappa, claiming to be associated with influential persons, facilitated a meeting with Bandi Sanjay Kumar, which happened on April 23.

During the interaction, the complaint said under the guise of counselling her daughter and his son on the way forward, they were subjected to indirect pressure to compromise and advised to sign documents at Nirmal police station.

She said the statements made during the above meeting caused fear, intimidation and apprehension, considering the minor status of her daughter.