The Hyderabad police has named former Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) chief T. Prabhakar Rao as the prime accused in the illegal phone tapping case, that has been creating political uproar in Telangana. It was alleged that on the directions of the then BRS political bosses, they resorted to `illegal phone tapping’ of the then TPCC chief Revanth Reddy, his relatives, associated and some key opposition leaders.
A lookout notice has been issued in the name of Rao, who is believed to have absconded to the United States. The former SIB chief allegedly ordered the illegal tapping of phones during previous regime.
Besides Rao, police have also issued notice against then deputy commissioner of police of Commissioner’s Task Force (a wing of Hyderabad Police) P. Radhakrishna and a senior executive of a Telugu TV channel.
Two additional superintendents of police were arrested by Hyderabad Police in connection with the case and for destroying certain computer systems and official data on Saturday. The police officials–Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Thirupathanna and Additional Superintendent of Police N. Bhujanga Rao–who had earlier worked as additional superintendents of police in the SIB and Intelligence Department respectively.
There names figured after the police took suspended SIB DSP D Praneeth Rao into their custody for interrogation. He only admitted before the people names of the officers, who ordered, monitored and executed the entire `illegal operations’.
“During questioning, the two police officials confessed to their involvement in the reported crimes, including conspiracy to monitor private persons illegally by developing their profiles, abusing their official positions; to cause disappearance of evidence by destroying public property to conceal their involvement in collusion with the already arrested D. Praneeth Kumar alias Praneeth Rao, DSP (under suspension), and some other persons,” a Police Press Release said.
On March 13, Praneeth Rao, who is accused of developing profiles of unknown persons and monitoring them clandestinely, without authorisation and illegally, besides destroying certain computer systems and official data, was arrested. He was a DSP during the previous BRS dispensation and was subsequently working in the office of the Director General of Police (DGP).
