HYDERABAD: Punjagutta police registered a case against BRS leader and former MLA Rega Kantha Rao on charges of allegedly sexually exploiting a 22-year-old woman on the false promise of marriage, cheating and criminal intimidation.
He was elected from the Pinapaka Assembly constituency in 2009 and 2018.
According to the complaint, the woman, a media professional, alleged that she first met the former legislator in 2022 for an interview.
She claimed that he later invited her to a private flat on the pretext of helping her start a YouTube channel, where he allegedly established a physical relationship with her by promising to marry her.
The woman alleged that the two lived together for nearly four years in an apartment in Ameerpet whenever the former MLA visited Hyderabad. She further claimed that he took her private photographs and used them to blackmail her whenever she refused to meet him.
She also alleged that Kantha Rao collected `4 lakh from her, assuring her that he would invest it in a real estate venture and return double the amount. She claimed that he later started avoiding her.
The complaint stated that early this year, when she was facing health and financial problems, some persons claiming to be associates of the former MLA facilitated the transfer of Rs 8.5 lakh into her account.
She alleged that the money was returned without her consent after she approached the SHE Teams by filing an online complaint. She sought legal action against the accused and requested protection from any threats from him or his associates.
Based on her complaint, Panjagutta police registered a case under Sections 69 and 351(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).