Actor Jagadeesh Prathap Bandari, popular for his role in Allu Arjun's blockbuster Pushpa, has been arrested in Hyderabad on charges of abetting his girlfriend's suicide. The actor was reportedly in a live-in relationship with the deceased, and he was accused by her family of blackmail and harassment.
According to police, his girlfriend died by suicide on November 29 at her residence, post which her father approached the police and accused Jagadeesh of blackmailing and harassing her.
He claimed that the constant harassment and mental torture by Jagadeesh pushed his daughter to take the extreme step.
Post his complaint, an investigation was launched against Jagadeesh, and police reportedly found substantial evidence against the actor in the deceased's phone.
Cops stated that Jagadeesh clicked photos and recorded videos of the deceased while she was with another man on November 27. He then blackmailed her and threatened to leak her private photos online.
Following their altercation, the deceased, who was also a junior artist working in the south film industry, hung herself to death at her residence on November 29.
The Panjagutta Police in Hyderabad booked Jagadeesh under Section 306 of the Indian Penal Code (abetment to suicide) and he was arrested on Wednesday.
Jagadeesh and his family are yet to issue an official statement.
In Pushpa, Jagadeesh played Keshava, the right-hand man of Allu Arjun's character, and he was seen sharing the screen with the superstar multiple times throughout the film.
Jagadeesh was last seen in the film Satthi Gaani Rendu Yekaralu, bankrolled by Mythri Movie Makers. He also has Extra Ordinary Man and Ambajipeta Marriage Band in the pipeline.
