Police and media personnel waiting outside the Pet Basheerabad Police Station on May 16, 2026. Photo: Arrangement
After a week-long manhunt, Bandi Bageerath, son of Union Minister for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay, was arrested by Cyberabad police on Saturday (May 16, 2026) night, in connection with a Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act case booked against him at the Petbasheerabad Police Station.
According to Cyberbad Police Commissioner M. Ramesh, he was apprehended at the TGPA junction at around 8 p.m. and was taken to the Narsingi police station first. He was later shifted to Petbasheerbad for post arrest formalities.
Officials said he would undergo mandatory medical examination procedures before being produced before a court for remand.
The accused had remained untraceable since the case was registered on May 8 following a complaint lodged by the mother of a 17-year-old girl, who had accused him of sexually assaulting and emotionally manipulating her daughter over several months.
The arrest had come a day after the Telangana High Court had rejected his pre-arrest bail plea. Following the court’s order, Cyberabad police had intensified efforts to trace him by deploying five special teams, carrying out searches at residences linked to him in Hyderabad and Karimnagar, and issuing a lookout circular to prevent him from leaving the country.
Earlier in the day, teams from Cyberabad police conducted searches at Maitri Residency in Banjara Hills and at the residence of Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar in Karimnagar while surveillance and technical teams analysed location coordinates, digital trails and other electronic data linked to his whereabouts.
The accused had failed to appear before the police despite notices being served and had sought two additional days after missing his scheduled appearance on May 13.
Published – May 16, 2026 09:22 pm IST
