In a major revelation, a former police officer has admitted to being part of phone tapping operation by the Telangana Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) during the Bharat Rashtra Samiti government.
P. Radhakishan Rao, former Deputy Commissioner of Police (Task Force, Hyderabad City), claimed that several retired police officers, politicians and media personalities were snooped under the instructions of then Telangana’s Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) T. Prabhakar Rao.
Prabhakar Rao has been named as the prime accused in the illegal phone tapping case.
The snooping operation was allegedly aimed at keeping tabs on the political rivals of the BRS and then Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao ahead of the state elections held in November last.
The Hyderabad Police has attached Radhakishan Rao’s confession statement to other documents submitted to the Nampally Criminal Court, reported The Indian Express.
As per the report, the former police officer, who was arrested on March 29 in connection with the case, told the investigators that those who criticised the BRS government or were seen as a threat to the party were placed under surveillance.
Meanwhile, a lookout notice has been issued in the name of Prabhakar Rao, who is believed to have absconded to the United States.
Two additional superintendents of police were arrested by Hyderabad Police in connection with the case and for destroying certain computer systems and official data.
The officials—Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Thirupathanna and Additional Superintendent of Police N. Bhujanga Rao—had earlier worked as additional superintendents of police in the SIB and Intelligence Department respectively.
The two additional superintendents of police were accused of colluding with suspended DSP of the SIB, D. Praneeth Rao, who was earlier arrested by Hyderabad police for allegedly erasing the intelligence information from various electronic gadgets as well as for alleged phone tapping during the previous BRS government.
