Hyderabad: Bandi Bhageerath, an accused in a POCSO case, was arrested by police late on Saturday night and produced before the Medchal judicial magistrate. After hearing the submissions, the court remanded him to 14 days of judicial custody. Following the orders, police shifted him to Cherlapally Central Jail past midnight under tight security arrangements.
Earlier, Cyberabad police had issued a Lookout Circular (LOC) against Bhageerath after his plea seeking anticipatory bail and protection from arrest was dismissed by the Telangana High Court. With the court denying interim relief, police intensified efforts to trace and apprehend him.
In a parallel development, Bandi Sanjay, Member of Parliament and father of the accused, claimed that his son had voluntarily surrendered before the police. However, shortly thereafter, police clarified that Bhageerath was taken into custody near the Police Academy area and was subsequently shifted to the Pet Bashirabad police station. He was later subjected to medical examination at a government hospital before being produced before the magistrate.
Meanwhile, the Telangana government has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the case in detail. Under the supervision of Kukatpally DCP Rithiraj, police teams are collecting evidence including farmhouse records, hotel registers, and IP logs, along with conducting crime scene reconstruction. The victim’s mother has alleged that her family is facing intimidation through counter-cases and has appealed for justice strictly under law.