Cyberabad Cracks Down on POCSO Victim Privacy Breach

Telangana police have launched a crackdown on social media users who brazenly shared a minor victim's details in a sensitive POCSO case linked to a Union minister's son. Multiple accounts on Instagram and Facebook now face legal heat after circulating photos, videos, and personal information of the girl and her family. Officials at Pet Basheerabad station, which handled the May 8 FIR against Bandi Bhagirath, registered fresh cases on Friday. The trigger was a complaint from the Medchal-Malkajgiri Child Welfare Committee head, highlighting the grave breach of victim confidentiality. SHO K. Vijay Vardhan detailed the charges: violations under Juvenile Justice Act Section 74, BNS Section 72(1), and POCSO Section 23. 'Such disclosures inflict deep mental scars on victims and their families. We will pursue every perpetrator,' he stated firmly. Investigators have zeroed in on the rogue accounts, dispatching URLs to cyber agencies for swift identification and arrests. This follows the core incident where a 17-year-old accused Bhagirath of assault at a Moinabad farmhouse, leading to POCSO charges including the severe Section 6 for aggravated penetrative assault. The plot thickened as Bhagirath filed a counter-FIR in Karimnagar, alleging extortion of Rs 5 crore by the complainant's family. In Telangana High Court, he seeks FIR cancellation and pre-arrest bail; the bench has kept interim relief pending till next week. As digital vigilantism clashes with legal safeguards, this episode spotlights the perils of unchecked online sharing in child abuse cases. Authorities urge public restraint to prevent further harm.