In a major development in the Telangana illegal phone-tapping case, Prabhakar Rao, the primary accused and former OSD of the Special Intelligence Branch (SIB), has reportedly been granted a U.S. Green Card, securing his permanent residency. Sources indicate that the Green Card was issued under sponsorship from his family members residing in the United States, raising concerns about the impact on the case investigation.
Following the exposure of the phone-tapping scandal, Prabhakar Rao left for the U.S. on March 11, one day after SIB Additional SP Ramesh filed a police complaint on March 10. He has not returned to India since his departure.
As part of their inquiry, Telangana police arrested four officers and formally named Prabhakar Rao as the primary suspect. Authorities have submitted charges to the court and have been working to secure his return to India for trial.
Initially, Prabhakar Rao informed the police that he had traveled to the U.S. on a three-month visa for medical reasons and would return in June. However, he extended his visa by six months and remained in the U.S. past the original expiration. In response, Telangana police issued a lookout notice, canceled his passport, and initiated communication with U.S. authorities through the Ministry of External Affairs.
The recent approval of Prabhakar Rao’s Green Card status, allowing him to reside permanently in the U.S., has intensified discussions around his potential return to India, with speculation that he may not be coming back in the near future.
