Bandi Bhageerath surrenders in Hyderabad after POCSO lookout circular

Bandi Bhageerath, the son of Union minister of state for home affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar, surrendered to police in Hyderabad on Saturday after a lookout circular was issued against him in a Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) case. The Telangana High Court had refused him interim protection from arrest the previous night, and investigators had stepped up efforts to locate him across multiple cities before he appeared for questioning.

In a statement, Sanjay Kumar said his son was handed over through advocates for investigation, adding that “everyone is equal before the law.” He said Bhageerath has maintained that he committed no wrongdoing and that his legal team had advised delaying the surrender while court proceedings were pending, although he decided not to further the delay once the situation escalated.

The case is based on an FIR registered on May 8 at Petbasheerabad Police Station on a complaint by the mother of a 17-year-old girl. The complaint alleges that Bhageerath entered into a relationship with the complainant’s daughter in June 2025 under false promises of marriage, and that between October 2025 and January 2026 he subjected her to inappropriate...