Latest news with #PrabhakarRao
New Indian Express
a day ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Tapgate SIT asks Bandi to appear as witness
HYDERABAD: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged phone-tapping case has summoned Minister of State (Home Affairs) Bandi Sanjay to appear before it as a witness under Section 161 CrPC. SIT sources confirmed that the team asked Sanjay to record his statement regarding the alleged tapping of his phone during the BRS regime. The sources stated that Sanjay told the investigators that he would inform them of the date and time he would appear. Meanwhile, former Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) chief and prime accused in the case, T Prabhakar Rao, reportedly told investigators that he acted only on the instructions of his senior officers and had no links with any leaders of the previous BRS regime. During questioning on Friday, Prabhakar Rao is believed to have stated: 'I do not have any connections with any key figures in the BRS government and carried out my duties as per the directions of higher officials.' Sources said Prabhakar Rao claimed he was following the orders of a former DGP and denied any association with political parties. He also maintained that no rules drafted by a committee of senior officials were breached. Prabhakar Rao appeared before the Investigating Officer at Jubilee Hills police station for the fifth consecutive day of questioning on Friday. Sources said that he repeatedly responded that he could not remember or was unaware of several matters raised by the IO.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Phone tapping probe: Ex-SIB chief Prabhakar Rao keeps mum on naming top officials, Hyderabad cops may seek SC nod for custodial grilling
T Prabhakar Rao, key accused in the phone tapping case, is not cooperating with the investigation. He is refusing to name involved officials and political leaders. Hyderabad police might seek revocation of his arrest protection. HYDERABAD: Former chief of Special Intelligence Bureau, T Prabhakar Rao, the prime accused in the sensational phone tapping case, has so far stonewalled investigators by refusing to name senior IPS officers or political leaders allegedly involved during the previous BRS regime. Though he hinted that certain actions were carried out in coordination with top officials, Prabhakar Rao has remained tight-lipped on specifics, prompting Hyderabad police to consider seeking revocation of his Supreme Court-granted arrest protection. With Prabhakar Rao allegedly not providing leads crucial to cracking the case, police plan to continue questioning him for a few more days. A final decision will soon be taken on approaching the apex court, which had earlier given him interim relief from arrest. Officials are likely to inform the court of his non-cooperation and request permission to proceed with custodial interrogation. So far, he has been interrogated three times. Other than referring to a letter from the then director general of police recommending his reappointment post-retirement-citing his experience in anti-Maoist operations-he has remained evasive, particularly when asked about the core allegations of surveillance. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Поза во сне может многое рассказать о вашем характере! Удивительные Новости Undo He has refused to name the senior officers or political leadership allegedly involved in the phone tapping. Investigators suspect that Prabhakar Rao was instrumental in setting up the now-disbanded special operations team (SOT), headed by then deputy superintendent of police D Praneeth Rao. The unit is believed to have tapped the phones of political opponents, including current chief minister A Revanth Reddy, senior BJP leaders, and dissidents within the BRS to help the ruling party during elections. Meanwhile, after taking the witness statements of different phone tapping victims including Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president Mahesh Kumar Goud, the investigators are going to take the statements of BJP MPs Eatala Rajender and M Raghunandan Rao, Haryana governor Bandaru Dattatreya, minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and Congress leader Komatireddy Raj Gopal Reddy are among those expected to be questioned. CM Revanth and his family members, whose phones were reportedly under surveillance, may also be asked to depose. "Based on the phone numbers identified, police will reach out to those affected and collect detailed accounts of any harassment or damage-financial, legal, or personal-suffered due to the surveillance," sources familiar with the investigation told TOI. "Their statements will help build a watertight case," a source said.
Hans India
5 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Those involved in phone-tapping should be punished: Telangana Congress President
Hyderabad: Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) President B. Mahesh Kumar Goud on Tuesday demanded that those involved in the phone-tapping under the previous government of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) should be punished. He said the then ruling party leaders who ordered tapping of phones of their political rivals and the IAS and IPS officers who obeyed the orders should be punished. He was talking to media persons after recording his statement as a witness before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the state police probing the phone tapping allegations. Goud said the guilty should be punished stringently so that in future no government should dare to indulge in such illegal and unethical activity. He claimed that the Congress party suffered defeats in Telangana due to illegal phone tapping of its leaders by the BRS government. He alleged that the BRS government tapped the phones of several Congress leaders. He said his and the Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy's phones were also tapped. Goud said that on suspicion that his phone was being tapped, he had lodged a complaint with the police. 'Today, the facts have come out. Phones of senior Congress leaders have been tapped since 2022. We learnt that there are names of 650 Congress leaders in the SIT's list of those whose phones were illegally tapped,' he said. He alleged that the previous government threw the Telegraph Act to the wind to indulge in illegal activity. Goud remarked that BRS leaders KCR and KTR should hang their heads in shame for indulging in this act. The state Congress chief said the SIT investigations are revealing how the BRS misused power to resort to phone tapping. He said the previous government appointed T. Prabhakar Rao as intelligence chief after his retirement. He claimed that such a thing did not happen anywhere in the country. The statement of Goud, who is also a member of the Telangana Legislative Council, is likely to be significant in the ongoing probe. On a request by the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) of Jubilee Hills, the TPCC President appeared before him. Goud, who served as the working president of the TPCC in November 2023, was allegedly a victim of illegal phone tapping. Meanwhile, former Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) chief, T Prabhakar Rao, the prime accused in the case, once again appeared before the SIT on Tuesday. Prabhakar Rao had allegedly formed a Special Operations Team under a suspended DSP within the SIB to tap phones of leaders of the opposition parties and some other individuals to benefit the then ruling political party and its leaders. Prabhakar Rao on Tuesday appeared for the fourth time before the SIT since his return from the United States on June 8. Prabhakar Rao has reportedly confessed that a special team was constituted in the SIB to tap the phones of certain individuals. The phones of political leaders, businessmen, celebrities, journalists, members of civil society and even judges were allegedly tapped by the team. The retired Indian Police Service (IPS) officer was grilled based on the statements of former deputy superintendent of police D Praneeth Rao, retired deputy commissioner of police P Radha Kishan Rao and additional superintendents of police N Bhujanga Rao and M. Thirupathanna, who were all arrested in the case last year and were recently released on bail. These officials had earlier told the SIT that they had acted on the instructions of Prabhakar Rao, who was heading the SIB.
Hans India
5 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Telangana: SIT to question former SIB chief Prabhakar Rao again today
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) is intensifying its probe into the Phone Tapping Case, with former SIB chief Prabhakar Rao set to appear for questioning at the Jubilee Hills Police Station today at 11am. This marks Rao's fourth appearance before SIT officials. In a related development, PCC chief Mahesh Kumar Goud will also provide a statement today as a witness in the case. Goud's phone was reportedly tapped by Praneeth Rao's team, whose phone data revealed 400 compromised numbers. Former Gadwal ZP Chairperson Saritha, who contested as a Congress candidate in the last elections, will also appear before the SIT. Moreover, Praneeth Rao is scheduled to appear for questioning on Wednesday.
Time of India
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
SIB ex-chief: Did political snooping, destroyed hard discs
Hyderabad: In a major development in the high-profile phone tapping case, former chief of Special Intelligence Branch (SIB), T Prabhakar Rao, admitted that a special operations team (SOT) within the SIB was engaged in political surveillance during his tenure. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Rao maintained senior police officials were fully aware of these activities and did not name any political leader as being involved. During a nine-hour-long interrogation on Wednesday, Prabhakar Rao claimed he continued as SIB chief after his retirement in June 2020 only at the insistence of top police officials. He presented a two-page recommendation letter from a senior officer backing his reappointment. Investigators focused on the formation of the SOT in 2018, which Prabhakar Rao confirmed was tasked with political surveillance—far outside SIB's original anti-Naxal mandate. Prabhakar Rao asserted that he acted under the instructions of senior police officials above him in the chain of command. He also admitted that hard disks containing phone tapping data were destroyed in 2023, well before the mandated retention period and just ahead of the Congress coming to power. He remained evasive on whether the decision was made under instructions from higher-ups in the police department, but made no mention of any involvement by the political leadership. The case, registered at Punjagutta police station on March 10, 2024, has raised serious questions about privacy and the alleged misuse of state intelligence for political purposes. Prabhakar Rao had fled to the United States via Chennai shortly after the probe began. However, on June 8, following a Supreme Court order restoring his passport and granting him protection from arrest, he returned to India and appeared before investigators on June 9. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In his latest round of questioning on Wednesday, Rao appeared prepared, with responses closely aligning with earlier court submissions. He remained evasive when asked to name individuals who were under surveillance, often citing lack of memory or knowledge. He said the SOT operated under deputy superintendent of police G Praneeth Rao's supervision and that sensitive data was destroyed before its due date. No electronic devices were seized from him so far, but investigators are considering seeking written responses to clarify further points. Officials plan to question Praneeth Rao again on June 13, while Prabhakar Rao will face another round of questioning on June 14.
