The Aryavarth Express
Agency (Telangana): In a significant development, a former police officer has confessed to participating in a phone tapping operation orchestrated by the Telangana Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) during the Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) government. P. Radhakishan Rao, former Deputy Commissioner of Police (Task Force, Hyderabad City), revealed that several retired police officers, politicians, and media personalities were subjected to surveillance under the directives of then SIB chief T. Prabhakar Rao.
Prabhakar Rao, now named as the prime accused in the illegal phone tapping case, allegedly initiated the snooping operation to monitor political rivals of the BRS and then Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao ahead of the state elections in November last year.
Radhakishan Rao’s confession has been included in the documents submitted to the Nampally Criminal Court, as reported by The Indian Express. He was arrested on March 29 in connection with the case and disclosed to investigators that individuals critical of the BRS government or perceived as threats were placed under surveillance.
In a parallel development, a lookout notice has been issued for Prabhakar Rao, who is believed to have fled to the United States. Two additional superintendents of police, Thirupathanna and N. Bhujanga Rao, were also arrested by Hyderabad Police for their roles in destroying computer systems and official data linked to the case.
Thirupathanna and Bhujanga Rao, who previously served as additional superintendents of police in the SIB and Intelligence Department, are accused of collaborating with suspended DSP D. Praneeth Rao. Praneeth Rao was earlier arrested for allegedly erasing intelligence information from various electronic gadgets and for his involvement in the phone tapping activities during the previous BRS government.
These revelations have cast a spotlight on the extent of the surveillance activities conducted under the BRS regime, raising concerns about the misuse of intelligence resources for political gains. The ongoing investigation continues to uncover the depth of the alleged illegal operations, implicating multiple high-ranking officials in the scandal.