'Repeated rape on same person': More trouble for Bandi Sanjay's son, Hyderabad police adds additional charges; what we know

HYDERABAD: Cyberabad Police have invoked an additional charge of “repeated aggravated sexual assault on the same person” against Bandi Sanjay Kumar’s son, Bandi Sai Bageerath, who was arrested on Saturday night in a POCSO case and remanded in judicial custody till May 29.Police said the new charge under Section 64(2)(m) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) carries a minimum punishment of 10 years, extendable to life imprisonment.Earlier charges under Sections 74 and 75 of the BNS—relating to assault or use of criminal force against a woman with intent to outrage her modesty and sexual harassment—along with Section 5 of the POCSO Act, have been retained.In a key development, police said the statement of the minor survivor and her parents was recorded before a magistrate.“We recorded the victim girl's statement along with her parents' in front of a magistrate for 40 minutes in Medchal district court.”Police also confirmed that special teams have been deployed to trace the accused after he allegedly went absconding.“We have formed five special teams to catch Bandi Bhagirath. We have also opened an LOC and are tracing him using CDR, IP addresses, and other technologies,” a Cyberabad Police official said.The case stems from an FIR lodged at Petbasheerabad Police Station, based on a complaint by the victim’s mother.It alleges that the accused entered into a relationship with the minor in June 2025 on the promise of marriage, and later subjected her to inappropriate physical acts and pressure to consume alcohol between October 2025 and January 2026.According to the FIR, after the relationship ended on January 7, the girl allegedly attempted self-harm twice later that month.The accused has described the case as a “counterblast” to a complaint he filed against the girl’s family earlier on the same day.In his complaint at Karimnagar-II Town Police Station, he alleged that her parents tried to extort Rs 5 crore, threatening that their daughter would die by suicide if the demand was not met.Meanwhile, Bandi Sanjay Kumar has approached the City civil court in Hyderabad seeking removal of allegedly defamatory content circulating on television channels, YouTube and social media platforms linking him to the case involving his son.