Former BRS MLA Rega Kantha Rao Booked in Sexual Harassment, Cheating and Blackmail Case

The Panjagutta Police have registered an FIR against former Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLA Rega Kantha Rao over allegations of sexual harassment, cheating, criminal intimidation, and blackmail following a complaint filed by a 22-year-old woman from Yellandu in Bhadradri Kothagudem district.

According to the complaint, submitted on July 26, the woman, who is currently employed in the media sector and residing in Somajiguda's Durganagar Colony, alleged that she first met Rega Kantha Rao during an interview in 2022. She claimed that he later proposed launching a new YouTube channel and invited her to a private apartment, where he allegedly promised to marry her before establishing a physical relationship with her.

The complainant further alleged that they later stayed together at an apartment owned by an actor in Ameerpet, and subsequently at Shubham Apartments, until the middle of 2025. During this period, she claimed that the former MLA took her personal photographs. After she reportedly refused to continue meeting him, he allegedly used those photographs to threaten and blackmail her.

She also alleged that Rega Kantha Rao convinced her to invest ₹4 lakh in a real estate venture, promising to double the amount and return it. However, she claimed that he neither repaid the money nor fulfilled the promise.

In her complaint, the woman further alleged that in May 2024, the former MLA used her mobile phone to contact her friend, Lakshmi Padala. She also stated that while she was facing financial and health-related difficulties during February and March 2026, she was introduced through her relative Anjali to Guntaka Praveen, who was described as the former MLA's social media handler.

Additionally, the complaint alleged that Nookarapu Ramesh, identified as a contractor and a close associate of the former legislator, transferred ₹5 lakh on March 16 and ₹3.5 lakh on March 18 into her bank account.

Based on the complaint, Panjagutta Police registered FIR No. 589/2026 under Sections 69 and 351(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and entrusted the investigation to Sub-Inspector P. Narasimha Rao.

The allegations remain under investigation. The registration of an FIR marks the beginning of the legal process, and the claims made in the complaint have not yet been tested in court.